Scythe, Kite, and Moon
by HybridWrites
Summary: Everyone is born with a blessing mark, it's a fact of life. So maybe people don't always know what they mean, it just means that they're important in some way to the world. Three cloned children cling to that message with their blessings inked on their skin. In some way they're important, and it's that which drives them to hold out that one day they'll make it out of this dark plac
1. Prologue

**Title:** Scythe, Kite and Moon

 **Rating:** PG-13

 **Characters:**

 **Warnings/Tags:** Soulmarks, Blessing Universe, Clones, Experimentation, Artificial Humans, Dubious Morals, Implied Abuse, Dysphoria, Body Horror, Little Bit Beastly, Animal Traits, Instincts, Torture, General Angst, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism/Aspergers Syndrome, Alternate Universe, Companion Animals, Therapy Animals, Sensory Issues, Identity Issues, NaNoWriMo

 **Summary:** Everyone is born with a blessing mark, it's a fact of life. So maybe people don't always know what they mean, it just means that they're important in some way to the world. Three cloned children cling to that message with their blessings inked on their skin. In some way they're important, and it's that which drives them to hold out that one day they'll make it out of this dark place.

 **Disclaimer:** I only own my three clone characters...

 **Notes:** Blessings. No but seriously, I don't have that much more to say that this...

* * *

No one quite knows where they come from. No one knows exactly what they really mean either. The scrawled words that stain everyone's skin from the very moment that they take their first breath of life.

The words that seem random. Everything from grass to glass, from ash to volcano, from the sun, the moon and the Earth. Nobody has anyway to tell what these words truly mean or where they come from, they're merely a fact of life for everybody. From the Civilians who titter and chat, gossiping about their words and the words of others, to the shinobi who all seek and search, trying to find every scrap of information related to their word.

Trying to find any sort of meaning in the single word that stains their skin. Marking them forever.

They're called blessings. Blessing marks.

Because nobody has any other idea of what to call them. It works, it fits and people move on with their lives. The marks are just a part of life and there's nothing special about them except that they're different. It's up to each person how they will interpret their particular blessing and how they think that it impacts their life.

Of course... there are some people who aren't satisfied with just knowing what they are and what they could mean.

They have to know.

Deep underground, where the sun can't pierce is a laboratory. Home to a madman wanted by many, feared by many. A madman pursuing the goal of figuring out the marks that everyone is born with. A man driven right into the darkest side of science to try and puzzle out the question that has always been there with the marks. Why? Why do they exist, and in the dim lighting of his underground bunker he's sure that he'll figure it out.

A flash of teeth, a mad grin and midnight eyes that dart over papers covered with theories half realized. Papers scattered all over a desk and... a single flickering screen with streams of data and code scrolling up and up. He laughs and spins around before crossing his arms.

"Finally..." he mutters his grin tapering off into something just a little bit more sane as a beeping fills the small bunker. "Finally I have finished step one!" He crosses the room in a couple of steps and grasps the cloth there, only hesitating for a single moment before yanking it back and revealing three tubes in the wall, each glow a different colour.

Orange. Purple. Blue.

And in each tube his pride. His greatest achievements. Oh they're not entirely perfect, not quite right but he finally succeeded. They're alive. With small twitches of their small curled limbs, the beating of their hearts, and that's what he's been trying to achieve. Even if they are different in other ways that will stand out in a crowd.

"They're perfect!" he breaths in awe of his creations. He finds himself gently placing a hand over the purple tube, feeling the energy and warmth of the small curled form within. "I finally did it, step one... now..." he narrows his eyes and steps back grabbing the cloth from the floor and once more covering the tubes. "Now to make sure that they survive the next few months so that they can be 'born'. And then..." he laughs darkly eyes glinting in the darkness of the bunker. "And then the true tests can begin... and I'll get to the bottom of the eons old mystery."

He gives one last quick glance back to the hidden tubes before shaking his head and leaving the room. Leaving to come back at some future point. And in the tubes three infants, just beginning to dream and feel things sleep on.

Unaware of anything that's going on outside of their safe and small worlds.

Unaware that to their creator they're barely anything more than an investment for the future. A key to unlocking the story behind the most mysterious part of the world.

 _Unaware all three sleep on._


	2. Innocence in Shadows

**Innocence in Shadows**

Note: Yeah... I'm basically posting these when I finish them since this is my NaNoWriMo for this yeah... I can't promise a post for pretty much everyday but they will be pretty quick for a short while...

* * *

Years pass, all three of them survive. At first it's not that different a childhood from most. Until they turn two. That's when the man deems them ready for the tests. He decides that they're old enough to survive most of what he has planned.

So he walks into the room and just stands there for a moment, observing his odd little miracles. His own mark, the one that drives him forwards simply reads _Genesis_. He doesn't care about it. He merely cares about the marks of the three, of the ones he made. Each of them is unique, two boys and a girl. Based around stolen blood samples, that he'd carefully dissected and selected. That he'd preserved and studied and in his eyes they're perfect little abominations. Of course to round out the missing pieces he had to add some things.

The oldest of them is the girl, with straight brown hair, light brown eyes, twin purple rectangular marks on her cheek and light skin. Notable extras, such as faint whiskers, the twin floppy brown rabbit ears sticking out of her hair(and her missing human ears) and a fluffy bunny tail that wags.

The second, with silver hair, dark eyes and sharp canine teeth. Pale skin, pointed wolf ears and a slim silver tail, it just faintly curls. Just like the girl this boy lacks human ears, and he has some whiskers.

Finally the youngest, just slightly smaller than the other two, with messy black hair, dark onyx eyes and a huge beaming grin. Pointy canines, and floppy ears that don't quite stick straight out of his hair. A fluffy jackals tail, two toned with black and just a subtle mix of brown.

Each has their own mark.

Moonbeam, for Yue as he called her. Scythe, for Kama the silver haired brat and Tobi for the youngest, the one marked with Kite.

It's really quite interesting. Each of them look at him, with such wide trusting eyes. With such cheer and joy and... he honestly doesn't care. Each of them are nothing to the rest of the world, unknown. They're his little secret and nobody will ever know that they're here. Nobody will know that they exist, nobody will ever need to know and he'll make sure that they never need to be known. He has the expertise after all.

But right now they're two, and finally he's deemed them old enough. So he kneels down and calls them.

"Yue! Kama! Tobi!" Each of them look up from their plush toys. Yue responds to her name almost instantly. Pushing herself up and toddling over to him on unsteady feet, quickly followed by Kama. Both of them picked up walking faster than he expected.

Tobi on the other hand crawls over, carting a plush jackal with him. A toy given in a moment of sentimentality. An animal to match the one used to fill the holes. He rolls his eyes as the small toddlers each sit down in front of him and look up with such wide trusting eyes. Such innocence. None of them know what he's got in store, after all until this moment they've been treated no differently to any other child. Given toys and taken care of, just starting to babble and figure out how to walk on their own.

Just beginning to grow their true identities.

The perfect time for him to start really.

Oh they have trust that runs deep. He knows that after all they've never gone hungry, never had a moment where their needs haven't been met before and this will be something to shake up their entire view of the world. Make them question things. Or just themselves at least, and give him the keys to their marks. To truly find what they mean.

After all, he named them for their marks. He named them based on the marks that they gained as soon as the air of their home filled their tiny lungs. He named them only after he knew what the words were.

 _Tobi, for Kite._

 _Kama, for Scythe._

 _Yue for Moonbeam._

Cruel maybe but none of them would know the significance behind such an act. And as sheltered as he planned on making them grow up, none of them ever would understand the significance. Or what the words meant beyond the fact that they were important. He smiles at the three children. It's not exactly a nice smile and Yue seems to pick up on that, her smile dropping replaced with a confused frown. Kama noticing her reaction also frowns, but Tobi merely continues to smile, hugging the plush jackal closer.

"It's about time I got started..." He says standing up and causing all three toddlers to look up at him. Confused, lost, a little bit unsure of what he's doing. He merely shakes his head, and turns around. "I'll be back soon... and then we'll get started."

He doesn't come back.

Not instantly, in fact he leaves them there alone, for as long as he can stretch it before he knows that they'll need him. He leaves them with each other of course. Separating them would be a bad idea, non-conductive to what he wants to find out from this. In the other room he watches them on a screen. Watches as they struggle to understand what's happening. They've never had to deal with a lack of anything, and understanding patience is not something that two year olds generally do. Of course they quickly seem to lose interest in waiting and return to their playing. Tobi happily rolling around in the plush animals and specifically snuggling with his jackal toy. Kama mostly ignoring the other two and instead scribbling with the crayons left in the room, and Yue watches them both, toddling around to poke at either of them whenever she grows bored.

Just like normal toddlers.

It's almost disappointing. Because they're not normal toddlers. And it makes him wonder, both of the boys have sharp, cutting canine teeth. Yue has her rabbit ears and tail, but normal teeth. How do they see the world, how do their senses compare to the senses of those around them? How are they different aside from the obvious physical discrepancies? It makes him twitch and grin in his seat as he watches them play.

As he observes them.

As he watches them grow confused, and grumpy as the time wears on. And Tobi falls asleep, curling up in the plushes around him. Not unexpected but still annoying. The other two are more interesting. Wandering around and getting more and more grumpy, wondering when he's going to come back. Possibly a little bit hungry as well, it's past the time that he usually feeds them. Past the time that he usually settles them down.

It shows.

They don't know what to do.

So they do what they can, shuffling around. Getting upset and confused and lost. For them there is no prescient for this. No angle for them to look at to explain this. And it's entertaining to watch them try to figure out what to do about it. Of course, he does send their bottles down. Eventually, just not hand delivered this time. Yue frowns as she picks up the bottle. Kama simply grumpily grabs his bottle and shoves it into his mouth. Tobi simply continues to sleep curled in his plush toys. Which is probably because he's not there to wake up the toddler. Not there to make sure that the boy is eating.

Tobi's not keeping up with the other two at all.

Delayed.

And watching them like this he's able to see that. Because the other two don't even notice. After all, children are inherently selfish until they reach around three or four. Which is why neither of the other two even think of Tobi. He frowns at the screen, because all three will still play with one another, curl up together for comfort and safety, for the sense that they're all still there. It's the way that they trust one another, the very foundation of their siblinghood. Since that's what they are ultimately.

All from the same source, a laboratory, a tube of glowing liquid. They're siblings despite their vastly different DNA. Despite the fact that they only have the smallest hints of each other in them.

And he's amused.

It just seems to assure him that he's made the right decision when making them. Although he does need to make sure that Tobi eats. So he rolls his eyes and stands up. Swiftly moving through the underground bunker and to the children's room. He picks up Tobi's bottle and walks over to the toddler who happily continues to sleep. Oblivious.

Gently he wakes up the toddler and hands him the bottle. Tobi laughs a little before grabbing the bottle and greedily drinking from it. Wide trusting black eyes look up at him and he frowns considering his next choice carefully.

It's definitely time to start the tests.

But first he needs to make sure that all of his devices are in working order and that they won't inadvertently kill his precious subjects.

After all, then he'd be right back at the beginning with nothing to show for it. And that wouldn't be conductive to what he wants to uncover at all. Also, if any buried children were discovered by the curious shinobi who occasionally snoop around the area it would raise some questions that he'd rather not deal with. It would cause people to come around and try to uncover what's going on... He needs to remain anonymous. So it's best that he double checks his machinery. It's not that he's grown attached to any of the children.

No, it's merely because he can't take any chances.

Because they are his only chance.


	3. Tick, Tick, Tobi!

**Tick, Tick, Tobi!**

Tobi is three years old. He knows this because he was told so by the white man. Along with his siblings Yue and Kama. Their third birthday has only just gone by and Tobi is really happy because it means that he is becoming a big boy. But... Tobi still can not speak. He still can only just barely walk around and finds it incredibly difficult.

Tobi is not very good at walking. He is good at snuggling and grasping his jackal though. His plush that still goes everywhere with him. Even to the pain room. _Especially_ to the pain room.

He does not understand why it hurts when they go in there, he just knows that it does. Kama and Yue have the same issues with the room. But they call it something different, something that he can't say. He does not have that much of a list of verbal words.

Only a few.

Tobi, Yue, Kama, Jackal, Plush, Shāo, Mine, Why, Pain, Toilet, Wakies, Ni-Night, Nummies, and Drink.

His full list of verbal words.

The white man, Shāo calls him delayed.

It makes him feel weird, and he can not understand why he is not able to keep up with Yue and Kama. Why they both understand things better, they are always ahead of him. Running the maze, drawing with the crayons, and learning things. They can speak clearly, he can not. They can both walk and run, he can not.

It is a little bit upsetting really. Why is he unable to do the things that they can do? Why is he unable to do the same things. Why is he _delayed_ whatever that means.

"Jackal!" he squishes the plush just that small bit tighter and sits down in his area of their room. Watching as Kama and Yue both babble with one another. He does not understand why he can't do the same. Struggling to form the sounds that they can, to keep track of what he wants to say. Why he can't make himself walk either, struggling to push himself up and keep steady on his own two feet. "Jackal!" he huffs raising the toy up and looking at it in the eye.

Sighing he flops backwards and puffs out a blast of air. It is not fair. He is just a little bit slow his heard Shāo say, and he will catch up eventually. But it does not feel like he will. Not when they are able to run around and do things that he just is not. They even know how to dress themselves to various degrees, where he still struggles.

One sleeve, two sleeves, how do you pull it on, wrong foot, not quite right.

He is not very good at anything really.

Always just a little bit short, not quite right and it is upside down or inside out.

Not able to do things right. So he lays there and looks up at the dirt ceiling. Holding Jackal close. His ears twitch and he sniffs, his tail flopping over and half hurling around him. Closing his eyes he snuggles the plush just a bit and rolls over ears pressing down in his hair. He simply breaths. He is a bit behind and he does not understand why, but that is just how it is. Just how he is.

Just how they are.

So he smiles and allows his tail to faintly thump against the ground.

At least they are still together and they are _his_. His family, his siblings. That is what Shāo calls them, siblings. Family. Though the white man does not include himself at all. The white man does not seem to think that he counts as anything to them. Should not count as anything to them. Tobi does not understand why but he knows that it is how it is.

Just like the pain room is important.

They go there each cycle. Lights on, lights off. Sitting up in the chairs in the pain room and watching the screens and watching the white man. Feeling the pads that stick to their skin and listening to sounds, taking quizzes. Learning. Selecting colours and... he opens his eyes and stares back up at the dirt overhead.

It is pain.

Wires and threads that come down. Fire that singes and smells that make them all wrinkle their noses. Among other tests, which he does not understand. What is the point of any of this? What does the white man wish to learn from any of it. Tobi does not know, so he ignores most of it. After all, the white man, Shāo, must have a reason. There has to be a reason for it. So Tobi trusts that the white man has a good reason. After all, despite the pain room Shāo has always taken care of them.

They have never gone hungry, they have all their plush toys. They have each other, so how can he do this without a reason.

Tobi just wants to know what that reason is.

Yue and Kama seem to know more. They always seem to know more than he does.

Able to walk and babble in full sentences when he can not.

He just can not do the same things. He can hold a set of chopsticks, and brush his own teeth, is allowed to choose the colours of his clothing(plenty of orange and green), but... He does not get things right. He can not keep up and is _delayed_. Because he can not talk properly, because he can not walk.

He can use the potty though. He is the only one of them who can do that. Kama flatly refuses, huffing and grumpily puts his foot down. Yue just is not quite used to it.

Of course, they all still have accidents and problems. Issues with doing things because they are not used to learning like this. They can do things by themselves now though. At least a little bit. When they are hungry they have food that they can make themselves. A small fridge with fruit, bread, milk and cereal. And some animal shape crackers.

They have their own beds, and there is the potty room that they can access. Leaving them with the ability to pick and choose for themselves what to do.

Even though most of the time their choices seem to be wrong.

The wrong thing to do, the wrong choice.

Not right.

Oh sure, they can choose their own food. They can make their own decisions, but Shāo never quite seems to approve of them. Always pointing out how they just have not quite got it right. Not right, not wrong, but not right. Shāo is not mean about it, just direct. Stern and firm and Tobi is not sure why it matters what choice they make. When they ask questions they never get answers. They have to search for any sort of answer on their own and Shāo encourages them to do so. To crawl around and find out the secrets of their home on their own.

Of course, that does not mean that it is simple. It is normal, they do not always understand it, they do not enjoy it all the time but it is the way that they live. It is their life, and they assume that it is just like everyone else lives.

Tobi has never met any other children, not aside from Kama and Yue.

Tobi just knows that they are special. All three of them are, Shāo says that they are very special. Unique and that they are helping him. Tobi just assumes that they are special because they are not delayed like he is.

Or maybe they are special because of their tails and ears. Traits that Shāo does not have. Maybe they will lose them as they grow. After all Shāo is the only grown person they have ever met. Shāo has never mentioned anything that would indicate otherwise.

Tobi does wonder though. Why do Yue and Kama have different features to him. Yue with the fluffy bunny tail, and large ears that stick out. Kama with his own pointed wolf ears, and slim tail with its faint curl. And even Tobi has his own features, floppy fluffy rounded ears, and his two tone tail. His sharp teeth, just like Jackal has.

They are sure that they will grow out of these features though. Because Shāo does not have them.

They do not have any other reference point for how life is after all. This is their home, this is where they grow up and live. Tobi clutches Jackal just a little bit tighter and sits up to peer around, to see what Kama and Yue are doing. They are both off in the corner playing with the blocks. The blocks are new... Build it up, push it down. Solving problems with them.

That is what the blocks are used for.

Tobi frowns and shifts Jackal to his lap. He hums, a tune that plays over the speakers. Following along, it is almost time for sleep. For their nap.

And then it will be another trip to the pain room.

The white man will watch over them carefully in there but it is still going to be a pain. With the seats and trying to stay still while they wait. And watching the flashing screens and listening to the strange whirs and clicks.

At least Tobi will have Jackal with him. Yue and Kama as well. And afterwards maybe the white man will give them the sweet cold treat again. Tobi likes the cold treat, it makes his throat feel better. It makes his mouth cold and his head spin but it is nice and Tobi likes it, along with the other sweets that they are given. But Tobi has his favourite.

The Ice-Cream. White cold treat, in a bowl.


	4. Swish, Slash, Kama

**Swish, Slash, Kama**

Kama is four. Kama is four and has never seen the sun outside of pictures on a screen and in books. He knows how to read and write. He's the best at each activity, unlike his siblings. Kama does stop to help them both though Tobi is frustrating to work with. His black haired littler sibling does not seem to be able to remember any of the characters from one lesson to the next. Ears drooping and eyes shining with unshed tears the smaller boy can not help it. Delayed.

That is what Shāo still calls Tobi.

He can not help it. He will catch up. Kama does not see any way for Tobi to catch up though. The raven remains barely able to talk properly and still crawls around, mostly. Tobi can walk now, he just does not do it that much, struggling. Unlike them. He watches over the smaller boy though, because he is the older sibling. Older than Tobi is, although Yue is older than them both. It is only a handful of hours. But it is enough to dictate their roles.

Despite that, he is the first one to ever ask Shāo about the words that stain their skin.

"Shāo... What do the words mean?" he asks fingers tracing the unknown word on his right arm.

"They're your Blessings!" the man answers him before narrowing his eyes and staring down at the child. "Now don't bother me again when I'm working." it is both the first and last time that Shāo answers any of their questions. Afterwards it is their job to figure things out. Using the picture books, the lesson tapes and anything else that they can find.

It is how they learn, how they grow, it is how they live. Aside the Appraisal Rooms, the _Examination Room_ , Observation Room... all are different rooms, though Tobi calls them all the same thing _Pain_. To Tobi there is only one room, and he knows that they all do kind of look the same both Kama and Yue have learnt the small differences. And they manage to understand a little bit more about what this is for.

It has something to do with the words that mark their skin.

Their 'blessings' whatever that means. He feels his tail twitch and bares his teeth in frustration. He does not understand why Shāo finds them so important. Why Tobi clings to the marks and traces his own with a happy distant smile. Probably because to Tobi it means that he has something to show that he belongs... to all of them. Because they are not that good at other things. Every choice is the wrong choice because they do not have enough of them. Shāo says it is because they have no way of knowing better. Because they have not experienced enough of the world to understand yet.

Of course, it is Tobi who has the most difficulty making choices that are right. Constantly failing to grasp the meanings behind things, failing to understand and making the wrong decision. Because he doubts and falters and just lingers...

Especially when it comes to the various tests. In the appraisal rooms. Each new test, each new challenge, each new situation. Each new dilemma that challenges them, they have to adapt and adjust. Learn new things for each one. Otherwise things progress mostly the same. And honestly Kama and Yue are finding that more and more they are making the right choices. Even Tobi is making the right choices, and Shāo gives them treats, and sweets more and more often. Praising their decisions and their understanding.

Kama is just glad that the trips to the Appraisal Rooms are getting further and further apart. Of course the trips to the Examination Room never slows down.

None of them ask why they have to sit in the strange chairs. None of them wonder what the helmets are for or why their words are always scanned. None of them ask what Shāo is looking for. They do not like being in the room, so they do not open their mouths to ask anything. They just sit still and quite, understanding that in this dimly lit room it is the best and safest decision.

It is the best decision that they could make.

And then...

Then there is the newest additions. Three little white mice that Shāo brings in one day. He gives them each one. A small tank each, and various supplies.

"Mouse..." Tobi whispers holding the one he is given so carefully. So gently despite the fact that he is normally squeezing his favoured plush. "Mouse, mine!" he says and Kama rolls his eyes putting his right into the tank he has been given. Yue settles with her own mouse in much the same way as Tobi. Holding the small creature gently. But she also considers the tank, and the other supplies.

All three of them approach the problem together. Settling the new additions to their family in and creating their own homes.

It is interesting. Because they still approach taking care of the mice slightly differently. Tobi quite often holds his one. Naming it Shiro and happily giving it all the attention and love that he can shower on it. None of them are ever discouraged from working with their mice. It is other things that the man tells them that they are not allowed to do. Their world is suddenly much smaller Kama realizes one day.

No longer are they able to wander around the entirety of their small underground home.

They are not able to go anywhere unless Shāo takes them there. The doors are always locked. Except the ones to the bathroom, and their bedrooms. They still have their own fridge and table. They can make their own food and their own decisions about things like that but... But they also can not make decisions. Not about doing anything else. They can solve the small puzzles and problems that Shāo gives them but. None of them have seen the sun aside from in their books. And each of them have trouble with handing things, especially Tobi who is still behind. Still unable to quite function the same way as him and Yue. Of course, to his embarrassment he still has his own troubles with using the potty.

Probably because for a while he really just didn't want to use it at all.

Tobi funnily enough was the one to pick up using the potty the fastest out of all of them.

It is the one thing that Tobi did pick up quickly. Aside drawing but what use is drawing? No use, there is nothing special about it, except that it makes the room look nicer. Kama does not really care. Yue does not really care either, and Shāo does not ever comment on it. So really Kama dismisses the drawings. Though every new cycle, when they wake up Tobi has his drawings hanging up on the walls. To display.

It is odd, because none of their drawings ever got displayed only the ones that Tobi creates.

Only Tobi is good enough to get his drawings up on the walls.

Which is probably best because he did take longer even if he picked it up the quickest once he got started.

Yet they each get a mouse. And supplies to make the mouse a home. To give it a name. They each get one, which is fair enough. And it is some kind of test he is sure. After all nothing here is without reason... right? He knows that this is their home, it is small, only a few rooms that they can go in on their own, but still. It is their home, their place, the place that they live and belong in.

They take care of each other as well. Especially Tobi who can not always do things on his own.

Who doubts, and does not belive that he will be able to do the same things as them. Which is probably because he still has difficulties with the things that both Kama and Yue can do easily. Such as talking and walking. And they know that they are not exactly very kind about these things. Even if it tries to be gentle, the fact that Tobi is just _delayed_ is very obvious. It holds him back, shows that their youngest member is just different.

But still they all have the same opportunities.

The same things to do.

The same choices and decisions that they could make. But Tobi... Tobi is held back. Constantly just a little bit behind them. Behind and unable to keep up. It is annoying, because as far as Kama can tell there is no reason for why Tobi is just not right. No explanation for any of it. After all, if Tobi is the same as Kama and Yue why is he not the same? Why is he behind them in most things. Yet ahead of them in others, the meaningless things?

Kama does not understand Tobi, he does not understand why Tobi is so different, held back and unsure of himself. Oh he understands that Tobi has a bit of an issue with his abilities. Struggles to learn and retain the information but he does not understand why.

He does not understand it, so he tries not to think about it. Instead focusing on his new mouse, and musing on potential names. Eventually he settles on calling it Zen.

Zen, Shiro, and of course Yue has her little mouse Bilby.

Where she got the name they are not sure at all, but it fits and that is what matters. That, and the fact that it is her choice of a name for it, they have no right to say whether or not she should change it. So he shrugs and just lets her go with the name. Bilby, it is fitting. Despite being unknown.

And they grow. Progressing in things, learning new things and dealing with things in much the same way. Drifting and learning and... They stop asking questions. They have issues with themselves. Kama does not know why, but he knows that they all have some problems with how they view themselves. It is normal to curl up with each other and sleep in a nest of blankets and pillows. It is normal to have three white mice that are cared for in their tanks. It is normal to never see the sun outside of books.

But he does wonder... if no one sees the sun, then how do people draw it in their books?

He does not ask Shāo, after all, it is normal that you do not ask questions.

Not when they will not get an answer anyway.


	5. Yin, Yang, Yue

**Yin, Yang, Yue**

Yue is five.

She is five and has her own room now. Separate from Tobi and Kama. She does not know why they no longer sleep together and share a room. Her mouse, little Bilby sleeps curled in their tank and she sits and watches them. Wondering when she will see her younger brothers again. Especially Tobi. She knows that Tobi needs taking care of, coaxing to eat and reminding to do his lessons. Reminding to focus.

As it is though now they have their own rooms. So she sits alone and just watches Bilby in their tank. Wondering. She wonders what the outside world is like. The one that is depicted in their picture books. The ones that they learned to read with. Nobody in the books have tails, or ears and Yue wonders what that might be like. She imagines that they are people from far away lands. Lands of wonders and adventure. She imagines that there in those lands she could be with both of her brothers and understand things.

Shāo would be there to. Always there, he is their protector. The one who keeps them safe.

Even if that also means that they have to sit in the Examination room chair. Feel the restraints around their head and the wires that push under their skin. Learn their words off by heart and understand every possible meaning for them.

Unconsciously her hand moves to trace the small word that's just barely visible on her arm. _Moonbeam_ , she's apparently named after it. Everyone is born with a word she remembers reading. Nobody knows why, or how, the where or even the who. The what is in the words themselves... seemingly at least. She does wonder that, because she does not know what the word means.

Moonbeam, oh she knows the moon. Seen it in her books and wondered at what it might be made of. But she does wonder, what does it mean for her personally. And she also wonders about her brothers, about their words. Tobi with his Kite, and Kama with his Scythe. The words seem so meaningless down here in their underground world. Hidden away from the sun and the moon, the sky and the stars. Tobi does not even have a kite. He would never be able to fly one, and a scythe is a weapon. Without meaning.

None of their words mean anything.

Yet Shāo is so often fixated on them and she knows that she does not enjoy it when the man does the strange scans of the word. When the man asks them to place their arms into different devices and searches for something. She does not like it, and she has seen Tobi crying after some of his sessions. Her hand curls hiding the word and she looks away from Bilby.

Shāo.

She trusts him, she loves him. He is their guardian after all. But at the same time. Yue has a few issues with him. Tobi is the only one who truly trusts the man, so simple in the way that he thinks. Both her and Kama though. They both have this small thread of distrust, and they both get suspicious when their guardian does things that hurt. When he does the things that do not quite fit.

They are safe.

 _Yet they each have to go into the Examination Room every day, sometimes twice a day and Shāo will run various tests that none of them like._

They are never hungry.

 _But as soon as they could reliably feed themselves Shāo stopped personally making sure that they ate and simply restocked their fridges and cupboards with food._

They have books, toys, things to entertain themselves with.

 _Yet they have never been outside, and Shāo certainly never reads to them or makes sure that they do not bored of the toys that they have._

They have each other.

 _Except that Shāo separated them as soon as they turned five and Yue has not seen either of her brothers since that day. No longer do they go together to the Examination Room._

So she wonders. But, it is normal. She has nothing else to reference aside the books and they are always about Princesses, Princes and Shinobi. Heroes in far away lands and worlds far removed from their home. So that can not be normal at all. No their life here is the normal one and she is just being a silly child. Silly, she has heard Shāo call her that so many times.

Kama is the disturbed one...

Tobi _delayed_...

And she is the silly one.

None of them are quite right. And she wonders why. Why is it that none of them are quite right. Tobi is trying she knows this, she knows that Kama is also trying. She wonders why none of them are quite right. Why they are different, wrong. Her bunny ears swivel around and she sniffs the air. Abruptly she is on her feet and she sniffs again. Something is wrong.

Something is not right. She can smell the wafting lingering smell of smoke. Of ash and dust that is caught in the air. But there have been no fire tests since they were really small. Carefully she moves around her room and towards the door. She is not quite tall enough to reach the handle but there is a sliding panel.

She places her hand on the panel, and she hesitates. Pausing for a moment before taking a deep breath and sliding it.

Nothing. There is nothing beyond in the hall. Even the lights have gone out. The only light what is able to shine through from around her. Confused she frowns before looking around as best she can. Still nothing. She pulls back and her ears swivel and twitch. Before they drop down flat in her hair and she realizes.

Shāo had mentioned something about Chakra, and how that was possibly the missing key ingredient. Kama had been the one Shāo had talked to the most about it. But, Yue remembers. And she darts around her room before pulling out one of the books. Flicking through it she soon finds the page and taking a deep breath she follows the instructions.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Focus, focus, focus and look inwards.

What can you feel? Anything. Breathe, breathe. Hold, and can you feel anything yet. She does not know what she is looking for, not really but she has to try and focus and she breathes. She searches and finally she reaches deep down and touches something. It is a light that goes off behind her eyes. Bright vibrant, a shining beacon of purple.

Really though, it's Violet.

It makes her feel weird, everything and nothing all at once and she can see.

Tobi buzzing in bright orange not that far away. Panicking and slamming his hands against the walls because he just knows that something is wrong. And, there. Kama in bright brilliant blue... Yet someone is very clearly missing. Completely absent even as she returns to herself. The vision goes away and she can feel what has to be her Chakra resettle and she narrows her eyes. Shāo is missing. Shāo is gone. She could not see him, or find him at all.

She has no idea what that might mean.

And she actually does not care. Right now Kama needs them. He needs her, he needs Tobi, he needs them. So she needs to get out of her room. Carefully she considers the door. The steel that has kept her separate from the rest of their home for so long. Carefully she takes a deep breath. Feels the new pulse of energy within her and. She. Moves. The door gives way surprisingly easily and she looks up and down the hall weary, and with excitement. Her whole body trembles with the energy gifted by her newly unlocked chakra.

Before she heads towards Kama though she turns the other way. There is still that wafting scent of ash and smoke, of fire. Yet she can not find any even as she reaches Tobi and his room. Easily again she is able to remove the door. And Tobi stands there with tears staining his cheeks, Jackal pressing into his chest and eyes spinning with something unrecognizable. Crimson with small commas spinning around the center.

For a moment she starts, not quite sure how to react before she rapidly shakes her head and grabs him. Dragging him along. Amusingly Shiro is perching up in his hair. The whole way they share a sort of energy because this is breaking the rules. They are out on their own, Shāo is not here to tell them where to go. What to do.

It is amazing and she buzzes with energy. Tobi whimpers and presses closer to her though. Not as comfortable with the situation.

Reaching Kama they both hesitate. Tobi is the first one to go in, nervously peering past the doorframe to try and find their missing sibling.

"Kama?" he calls nervous, unsure. There is a shuffling and she moves so that she can see past and into the room.

On the ground, blackened and charred like the papers that got burnt so long ago is a familiar face. Still grinning, seemingly triumphant even in the state that he is in. Shāo. He is not moving at all and Yue wanders in confused as to why. He does not look that hurt, he is just all black, and there is a funny smell filling the air. Her nose twitches and her ears swivel before dropping down.

"Kama?" Tobi calls clutching Jackal just a bit tighter, not moving from his spot at the doorway. "Shāo?" he asks eyes not looking down at the man on the floor. "Jackal scared... Tobi scared..." Yue looks back up at him and the boy has his ears pressed down. Hidden in his hair, his tail is also right between his legs. Her own long ears drop down and nervously she looks around. Searching for any small sign of Kama.

"Kama! Please come out." she calls. Looking around trying to find the final member of their little family. "Kama! Kama!"

"I did not mean to..." Kama is quite. Voice barely above a whisper as he finally shuffles into view. His own ears are flat, tail wrapped around one leg and eyes wide with terror. His silver hair is also covered with soot, and char. "I did not mean to... it just hurt and then went rushing out and..." he moves back around the table. "I am sorry..."

"Kama... Yue..." They both look back at Tobi. Tobi who still has crimson eyes, different eyes. "Tobi scared..." he says hiding behind his plush even as his pet, his companion, Shiro moves down to his shoulder and noses his cheek.

"We know Tobi... we know..." Yue says eyes darting down to Shāo and back up to Tobi.

"We are to." Kama finishes for her. They do not have time to say anything else as there is a loud shuddering creak and footsteps that echo. All three swing around, Kama grabs Tobi and they look at one another.

Now what?


	6. Here Comes the Snake

**Here Comes the Snake...**

Tobi can hear Shiro perching in his hair. Can feel his small companion scrambling through his messy black hair. Can feel the heartbeat and the short breaths that Shiro takes. He shivers leaning into Kama. Yue steps forwards her ears standing straight up and her eyes narrowing as she bares her teeth.

Even Kama bares his teeth glaring at the doorway. Ears flat and tail curling, shoulders rising. Tobi just shakes his head, lowering himself down. Ears flattening in his hair and tail curling between his legs.

He takes a deep breath and Shiro squeaks in his hair. Abruptly burrowing further back in it. Tobi sniffs the air, aware that something has scared Shiro. There is a strange scent in the air. Beneath the char scent of ash and fire. Unfamiliar, yet at the same time. Tobi sniffs again, deeper, more obvious and his eyes both shoot open. The world lights up in crimson and he growls. Tail curling and ears pointing forwards.

"Snake!" Tobi says, finally grasping onto some distant understanding of what might be making the smell. What could be scaring Shiro as his tiny companion presses further against his head. Hiding. He knows about hiding.

"What?" Kama and Yue both turn to look at him. He bares his teeth and growls.

"Snake!" Tobi's ears twitch and he takes another deep breath. He has caught up a little bit after all. Able to walk, though he still has trouble with speaking properly, and in this situation he wishes that he is able to say more. "Shiro scared... Snake" a predator is in the room. Something dangerous, and he knows those things. He understands that some things are dangerous.

You do not mess with fire.

Snakes bite, and kill. Or wrap around and steal your breath. He remembers his books and the pictures in them.

And...

He recognizes this scent. Distantly he remembers one of the tests. One of the challenges and a coiled reptile lying in wait. Stinging and burning, a fever and feeling horrible. Snakes.

Shāo had never said anything about the test afterwards. Tobi still is not sure how he feels about that. On one hand he feels burning shame because he clearly failed. On the other he feels that maybe he succeeded in something. That Shāo got the results that he was looking for at the time. But he does not truly know.

Pushing away the memories he glares at the shadows and his tail stiffens.

There.

"Snake..." his teeth are barred, and his eyes narrow, spinning lazily with bleeding crimson. "Bad..." he growls, and he can feel the buzzing energy that triggered within him earlier. He does not know where it came from, but he appreciates it.

Taking a deep breath he can feel it pulse, and...

He hesitates. Spinning around abruptly aware that there is someone else there. Another presence. Kama and Yue both follow his actions and they all stare into the hall. Past the doorway. There is something there.

Or someone...

But all Tobi can see is the small glimmer of gold. The small reflection of glinting eyes in the shadows. The creature from earlier. The thing that was in his room. Uninvited and unwanted and he growls. Spinning around entirely away from the snake in the shadows.

Startled both Kama and Yue jump as Tobi feels his ears raise along with his shoulders. His tail on the other hand drops down in fear, between his legs. He shifts, on the balls of his feet ready to disappear. He already knows where several hiding spots are in this room. Familiar with them from the various tests that Shāo would have them do.

The snake in the shadows slithers out and tastes the air with its tongue and he barely gives it a glance before refocusing on the hall.

"Who is there?" Yue demands stepping up beside him as Kama growls and steps further into view for himself. To offer support and show that they are all together.

There is a strange laugh that echoes from the shadows followed by footsteps. Tobi growls even as they grow closer and both Yue and Kama edge closer to him. Offering their comfort. Offering their support. Because they are in this together and this is their home and strangers are not accepted.

A stranger steps forwards, finally coming into view. And... they are rather pretty if Tobi is being honest.

Long sleek black hair, bright golden eyes, a fluid motion of movement and deep purple markings highlighting their eyes. He blinks, startling because he does not know this person.

"Yue?"

"Who are you?" Yue snaps from beside him and Kama growls. Tobi narrows his eyes, spotting another person, just a little bit behind the stranger in front of them. A second person, A man with messy brown hair, light green eyes and a scratch that is still dripping with red liquid right across his face. This man is unfamiliar as well. Frowning Tobi looks up at them. He narrows his eyes and finally seems to come to a decision. Lowering Jackal he smiles up at the man in front of them. "Safe?"

It is a question more than anything else.

But... they have not really done anything that would mark them as a danger yet. Tobi considers them, and the snake in the shadows. His eyes narrow and his ears flatten before standing up.

"Tobi..." Kama sounds disbelieving and he looks over at the other boy. Momentarily distracted. Kama shakes his head and Yue has one hand over her mouth, trying to hide a smile. Tobi shrugs, holding Jackal slightly closer and not sure what they expect of him.

Shāo is not able to tell any of them what to do right now.

Not where the white man is lying completely still on the ground.

"Shiro?" He blinks as the mouse scrambles down to rest on his shoulder. One hand comes up and he gently strokes the mouse on the head before looking up at the man again. "Safe, Food?" His stomach rumbles and both Kama and Yue flush, their own responding with the same rumble. Tobi can only laugh even as Shiro disapprovingly stares at the man, small nose twitching.

"You still have not answered the question!" Yue steps up in front of Tobi, pushing him behind her and looking right up at the man. Her eyes narrow and he can see her tail stiffen in front of him. "None of you have... Who are you?"

"Snake..." Tobi yelps darting to the side and Yue jumps as the serpent finally slivers fully out of the shadows and over to the man. It slivers up his leg and back down his arm before sort of lingering there. The snake rises up and meets their eyes. Tongue flicking in and out of its mouth. Shiro squeaks in a panic before disappearing right back into his hair. Tobi blinks rapidly before laughing startled just as the man finally answers Yue.

"I... Am Orochimaru."

"Oro'maru?" Tobi asks bewildered. Blinking he peers up at the man before shaking his head. Shiro chatters in his hair and he smiles before resting a hand on his chest. "Tobi is Tobi!" he proclaims with a smile. Yue frowns from beside him, keeping her focus on the snake. Tobi waves his arms at her and happily says "Yue!" Awkwardly she offers a smile of her own and Tobi points to Kama who has managed to pull himself free from the other man. "Kama!"

"Hello!" Kama grumpily says scowling. "Are you here to wake up Shāo?" the boy asks his tail swishing from side to side. Tobi clasps his hands and tilts his head. That is a good question, maybe that is why the strangers are here, to wake Shāo back up.

Disappointingly though the other man shakes his head. Stepping forwards and grimacing as he looks around the room.

"We're here to investigate some odd occurrences!" the other man says. Speaking up for the first time, Tobi blinks and looks up at him. Ears flopping over and tail sort of waving behind him. "I am Kimera Chijin" The man says. Tobi merely blinks at him before closing his eyes and smiling.

"Tobi hungry..." He lowers Jackal and frowns. Looking over at the one called Orochimaru he widens his eyes and allows his lower lip to tremble. "Tobi scared... Shadow..."

"Shadow?" Yue spins around bewildered. "Tobi... what are you talking about? You were the only one in your room..." she frowns as Tobi shakes his head. "But what..." Yue blinks and Kama frowns before looking at the two strangers. Their new friends and guardians.

"Tobi scared..."

"We will accompany you!" Kama decides nodding his head and wagging his tail before stopping and letting his ears drop. Kama flushes and looks at Shāo before looking around the room. "I did not mean to... um, the consul should still work..." he offers pointing at the main one in the center of the room.

The screen is still flickering. If that does not mean that it is still working then Tobi does not have any idea what would.

"Ahh... Thank you." Chijin says a little off guard. "I could accompany!"

"No!" Tobi says quite clearly. "Tobi no need Chijin..." he says and Shiro pokes their nose out of his hair. "Tobi no want!" he shakes his head before looking at Yue and at Kama. Finally he looks at Orochimaru and frowns. Orochimaru feels a lot like Shāo, technical, cold and like science.

And...

He hesitates. Looking back at Yue and Kama before looking up at Orochimaru once more. Humming he thinks and Shiro pokes their head fully out. Leaning over and squeaking. Finally Tobi nods his head. That decides it.

"Oro'maru come!" he decides and Yue covers her mouth laughing lightly, she shakes her head and Kama bristles. The silver haired boy glaring at the man.

"Alright!" Orochimaru says shaking his head in amusement. Tobi grabs the man by the hand and smiles before dragging him right down the hall. Back towards his room. Yue follows them, steady and there and he smiles back at her. "I do wonder though... what is an Uchiha doing down here?" The voice does not startle him but he does look up curious.

"Uchiha?" Yue asks and Tobi also wonders at the designation. What is an Uchiha? He has never heard of one before.

"Yes. Uchiha, you clearly have the sharingan. Although I have never met one with the same traits that you have..."

"Tobi special!" Tobi says with a smile, his canines flashing.

"We are all special!" Yue affirms before they slow down. They are just outside of his room now. Nervously he steps from one foot to the other before poking his head inside the room. His nose twitches and his ears swivel. Eyes narrow and he slowly walks in, feet light, barely making a noise. Shiro crouches in his hair and he feels his tail swish. Finally he comes to the conclusion that it is perfectly safe and relaxes. "Safe. No Shadow!"

"What Shadow Tobi?" Yue asks stepping into the room after him. Tobi does not answer instead he bounds through his room and over to his fridge. Only briefly stopping to let Shiro race into their tank. He opens his fridge and frowns, before pulling out some of the fruit and happily biting into it.

Orochimaru standing in the doorway watches him curiously. Yue huffs before assisting him. Easily selecting various dishes and placing them in containers to carry them back for Kama to share. Tobi laughs before looking up at the man in the doorway and smiling.

All the snake man does is shake his head in amusement.


	7. Into the Dawn

**Into the Dawn**

Kama glares at the man, or rather he glares at the back of the man. Grumpily he glares because the man is stealing away Tobi. All three of them are holding their mice. Tobi has Shiro perched in his hair, and as always is clutching Jackal. But also Tobi is not looking at them, instead enraptured by something that the man, Orochimaru is explaining. He does not care, it does not matter. Orochimaru is not Shāo, so he is not important.

Of course Tobi already trusts him.

Yue trusts him.

Kama... Kama does not trust the man. At least not as much, and not as quickly. He does not understand why, but he is always just a bit more hesitant about giving out his trust. Just a touch more weary.

It seems strange. Next to Tobi and Yue that he does not react in the same ways. He is not insecure about what he does and does not do like Tobi. Does not feel shame or guilt over his decisions. Even though he makes wrong ones sometimes. He does not make as many. All of them have issues about it though. Insecurities.

He is the only one who hesitates to give out his trust though.

He is the only one who is not like that.

Just a few steps behind Yue and Tobi.

Kama huffs and crosses his arms. He discards those thoughts and just continues to glare at the man. How dare he still away their youngest brother. He growls at the back of his throat even as the other, the one called Chijin keeps gently guiding them. Moving them further on. Towards some unknown destination. If he were more curious he would be more like his siblings. Asking questions and scanning the hall that they have never been down. But... he is not like that. Really, none of them are like that.

More used to seeking out their own answers.

Tobi is really the only one asking questions.

Which is why Kama keeps glaring at Orochimaru. At the back of the man and his far too pretty hair.

Part of him wonders if it is as soft as it looks. More of him wonders if he can set it on fire like he accidentally done to Shāo just hours earlier. It would be easy he thinks, just pulling up that strange energy within again.

Chakra or something like that. He narrows his eyes and lowers his ears, tail swishing behind him. Yue jabs him and he turns his glare to her. She simply shakes her head before looking back at Chijin. Who is... Kama narrows his eyes at the man. Who has dropped back, attention elsewhere. Kama looks back at Orochimaru for a moment before returning his focus to Chijin. Who has turned away and begun walking back into their home.

He narrows his eyes further before looking back at Yue.

"It is not our business..." Yue whispers and he frowns. Maybe, but this is still their home. Even if they are now in an area that they have no memory of. In an area that they have never seen. Even before, when they were allowed to go _everywhere_ they have never been here...

Orochimaru pauses for a moment, looking back at them and Kama makes sure that he scowls at the man before marching forwards and ahead. Tobi laughs and follows after him before they both pause. There is a strange metal room in front of them. Four walls, and a door of course, but Kama hesitates to go in while Tobi cheerfully rushes in.

"Buttons!" He points at the wall and Kama blinks before following Yue in. Looking at the wall there are lots of buttons there.

Each one is also labeled.

Which makes Kama frown. Because what does that mean. Orchimaru follows them in with a small amused smile on his face. The man frowns though when he realizes that Chijin is not there with them. Scowling the man turns to the snake that is still resting under his collar.

"Ishi..." the snake raises its head up to peer at Orochimaru and he smiles. "Would you please go fetch Chijin... It is time for us to return to the rest of the team." The snake nods its head before quickly slithering away and Kama follows it with his eyes before returning his gaze to the man. Once more Tobi is asking questions, and Shiro is sitting on his shoulder. Sighing Kama simply pets Zen and sits down in the corner of the metal room.

He is content to just wait for the snake to do whatever. Orochimaru must have a reason to bring them here. But he does wonder what that reason might be. Especially since the man is new. Along with Chijin. They are strangers.

Yet even though he does not trust as easily as his siblings. Neither of them seem bad. In fact the two seem to be taking them outside.

Kama feels weird thinking about that. A twist in his stomach and he falters in his next pet of Zen who squeaks annoyed at the lack of affection.

He wonders what it will be like. What the sun will feel like, will there be trees? Will it be a desert? Will there be a river or the ocean? Wind against his skin and in his hair. It is so hard to picture and imagine what that will be like. Yet these strangers are taking them out of the place that they have lived their whole lives. He peers around, distant smile dropping into a trembling half frown. He shakes and curls in on himself as Zen squeaks in annoyance and scrambles into his clothing.

That is also the moment that the snake returns, with a rather put out looking Chijin following behind.

Chijin is dripping with strange liquid. Crimson.

Abruptly Kama remembers seeing similar liquid before.

"Is that from the tubes?" Yue asks poking some of the liquid on the ground. "We are not supposed to go near those... they are delicate." She narrows her eyes at Chijin who just gives her a dirty look and Kama bristles.

"They are where you came from I would suspect..." Orochimaru says not really paying them any attention as he presses one of the buttons. Kama blinks, frowns and looks at the man but he is unable to say anything. Ask how Orochimaru came to that conclusion before Chijin begins to complain.

"It's all over me, and it smells, and feels squishy... and..."

"It is your own fault!" Kama snaps at him eyes on Tobi who is curling up in the corner. Eyes very wide, crimson once more and hands clutching Jackal tightly. "Tobi..." he walks over to the smaller boy, Yue soon joining them.

"Moving..."

"Yes it is moving." Yue agrees with Tobi and he grumbles something under his breath before looking up at the two men. Neither of them are really talking, at least not with one another. Chijin is still grumbling, uselessly trying to shake the red liquid staining his clothing off. And Orochimaru is just watching them.

Golden eyes that matched Shāo, just in gold rather than green. And with something else in them.

Kama frowns and sticks himself closer to Yue and Tobi.

He does not recognize that small glint. It is not something that ever appeared in the eyes that Shāo would turn on them. It makes him weary, because he does not know what it means. What this man intends. But then none of them really knew what Shāo wanted either. He was looking for something and they were helping. But now Shāo is away, back in the Examination Room and all in black.

Kama feels his hands curl and that is when the room shudders to a stop. The doors seem to slowly move apart and glittering bright light shines in. Soft, and nice, with a warmth that is so foreign. Nothing like the harsh flickering lights of their underground home. Tobi sniffs the air, tail thumping the metal behind him. Yue sniffs, her ears standing up and swiveling around on her head. Kama sniffs himself.

And there are so many new scents. He is blown away by them all.

He can not even begin to name them. Or even think of what they might be. He can almost taste the scents as well, it fills his nose and mouth and goes straight to his head. He takes another breath and closes his eyes. His own tail mimicking Tobi. Whirring and he opens his eyes again before taking a step forwards. There is plenty of green. And brown, and looking up there is blue with light fluffy looking white shapes drifting.

Another deep breath and he spins around. Both Yue and Tobi have followed him out. Tobi is standing there breathing deeply, and Yue is bounding around. Trying to figure out everything that there is. It is amazing.

"Welcome to the surface" Chijin states stepping out with amusement clearly displayed on his face. Kama ignores the man, more interested in the feel of the moist and soft ground beneath his bare feet. He squelches it between his toes and has to laugh. It is so new and nice and...

"Thank you!" He breaths as Zen pokes their head out of the collar of his shirt. "This is beautiful..."

"Green!"

"It is very green" Tobi and Yue speak from somewhere behind him and he can only laugh his tail waving with joy and happiness.

"Thank you!"

"Thanks!" Tobi cheerfully calls down on all fours, beaming at Orochimaru with his teeth shining. Tobi has only one hand on the ground though, the other clutching Jackal as always and Kama can only shake his head in amusement. Before dropping down himself and placing his hands against the ground.

It is nice.

He breaths and opens and closes his hands. Around the green, and the dirt. It's nice. Pleasant against his skin. The feeling of the breeze dancing in his hair is pretty enjoyable. And he can't help but smile.

Zen squeaks. Poking out of his sleeve now and trotting out into the green. The small white mouse stands up on it their hind legs and peers up at him. Squeaking happily running around and returning to him. Tobi laughs from behind him and Yue bounds over beaming herself.

"This... Is amazing!" she says and he has to nod his head.

"It sure is. Thank you... Orochimaru!" he looks at the snake man who is currently suffering from an overeager Tobi. The small tailed boy having looped his arms around the man and is now clinging there. Kama looks at Yue, she looks back at him. As one they come to the same decision and before Orochimaru can loosen Tobi they are right there doing the same.

"Sentimental children..." Orochimaru grumbles as in the background Chijin stares startled. Kama smiles as Zen pokes their nose out before licking his cheek and finally he laughs.

"Tobi is Happy!" Tobi cheerfully says eyes wide, and back to normal. Onyx through and through. Kama has to smile and Yue chuckles. Orochimaru is also smiling though he does not look entirely like he wants to.

Kama shakes his head before closing his eyes.

Never mind, maybe Orochimaru was not that bad after all... Tobi and Yue had the right idea it would seem.

Trusting him would be fine.


	8. Serpent Guardian Declaration

**Serpent Guardian Declaration**

Yue watches as both of her brothers scamper around the glade. She has mostly finished her own scampering, perfectly fine with just sitting and watching them. Bilby perching in her hair and Orochimaru watching from his own spot near by. Chijin is also there watching them with a rather odd expression on his face.

One that she really does not recognize. It is not one that Shāo ever wore that she knows. She knows, because Orochimaru is the one with expressions that remind them more of Shāo, that certain need to know things. The pursuit of knowledge that is just out of reach. But unlike Shāo, Orochimaru also seems to feel the need to share that, to teach it.

He answers the questions that she asks.

The questions that Tobi asks. In his own limited ways, and even the questions that Kama clearly wants to ask but does not quite manage to open his mouth to find the words.

It makes her feel a strange sort of hope. A strange sense that this is right, and this is where they are supposed to be.

It is odd without Shāo there though. But she understands that he has better things to do. More important things. Like catching up on his sleep.

She does wonder about why he was covered in char though. And sleeping with his eyes open. It seems weird, but, it is what has lead them to Orochimaru and to the outside. She does not know how to regard Chijin yet. As far as she can tell he is like Tobi, delayed. Although grown up like that. So she just rolls her eyes and does not think that much more about him. Orochimaru must serve as his Kama. Making sure that he keeps up.

She returns her focus to Tobi and Kama where they are in the glade. Tobi is happily walking around with a grin, Jackal clutched tightly, and Kama trotting along after him, eyes half closed, they are fine. Happy and relaxed.

She smiles, and Bilby squeaks, wriggling down from her head and resting on her lap. The mouse peers up at her, before looking at the snake man and sniffing the air. Yue distracted and more focused on her brothers merely shifts and gently begins to pet the mouse with a single finger. Humming a distant half remembered tune. Across the glade Tobi abruptly stops. He cocks his head to the side and both his ears perk, his tail twitching.

Before it stars wagging, waving behind him as he spins to stare at her. Kama follows Tobi and looks at her, his eyes narrowing as if he is waiting to see if she will continue.

She smiles. Continues to hum and Tobi laughs, absolutely thrilled.

Kama seems to sigh from his spot before smiling and shaking his head. Tobi spins around as she continues to hum. Orochimaru shifts beside her and she simply smiles and raises the volume. The humming tune gets louder, seems to fill the air before she simply cuts it off. Tobi quickly takes over. Humming and making noises, dancing around the glade with Jackal. Shiro dashing between his legs and squeaking along.

Tobi laughs and hums, making noises that keep the tune and eventually Kama joins in. Barking howls and sounds that are their noises.

Theirs.

Yue smiles and closes her eyes, letting her ears swivel and her nose twitch. More humming, more noise, before she cuts it. And begins to whistle. Low, soft, slowly growing louder and stronger. Clear in the air between them.

It is perfect.

Of course it would get ruined. A screech a scream and Kama is howling. Ears stiff and tail curling in fury. Eyes narrowing at some bird. Shiro, Bilby and Zen have all disappeared to safety. She can feel her mouse curling in the pocket of her shirt. Tiny heartbeat speeding along, a flutter and tiny rumble near her chest. She growls. Ears straight, especially as Tobi curls his hands and glares with eyes that bleed to crimson.

Drawing on his chakra.

She does not think that he realizes that it is happening. Does not know about chakra. No one has told him yet. They do not know how to tell him about it. They do not really know what it is either. It is just kind of there, and it is part of what has led to this. Orochimaru fluidly stands up from his place beside her and walks forwards. The black haired man looks at the bird and seems to smile before waving his hands.

Dismissing it.

Before he shakes his head.

"Did you really have to make such an entrance? Pazzia" he asks rolling his eyes. There is laughter and yet another stranger waltzes in. Literally, he waltzes in to view, dancing with another, this one a lady. Both of them have bright vibrantly coloured hair. Blue and orange respectively. She stares as the lady smiles and winks.

"How could we not Orochimaru?" the lady says before looking at the three of them. Yue narrows her eyes, ears swiveling, trying to find any sound of anyone else. "Why were we not alerted that there would be children here?"

"Calm down, Forza" Orochimaru rolls his eyes and Yue looks up at the man. "We were not aware of the children's presence either until they were right there..." He stops and Chijin jumps in, growling and bristling.

"And if we had then we would have surely brought Tsumeito Shāo to justice so much quicker!" The man glowers, not looking at them. "Who knows what he was planning on doing to them..."

"Or what he has already done..." Forza says, a strange tone in her voice that makes Yue bristle.

"We! Are right here!" she growls, beside her Kama crosses his arms and glares. Tobi is the only one of them who is not reacting the same way. Instead staring at the new comers. Unsure of how he is supposed to react. So he clutches Jackal slightly tighter and inches closer to them. Watching the adults with a weariness that he does not often show. They all trust, but they also know to be weary.

Adults do weird things.

Shāo never really explained his reasons after all. They just know that he is looking for something. They are helping him, and now these people are acting like he is wrong. Doing something wrong, and making the wrong choices and decisions.

It makes her bristle and wonder.

"Tobi no know you!" Tobi speaks, looking at the new people both of whom look at each other before smiling.

"Why how foolish of us..." The man with the blue hair says and he shakes his head. "I can not believe that we forgot Forza..."

"Why yes Pazzia! I can't believe that we forgot..." and the orange haired lady winks before backing away. Both of them pose and grin. "Why we are the MAGNIFICENT!"

"The STUPENDOUS!"

"MARVELOUS!"

"BREATHTAKING!"

"TATSUJA TWINS!" Both took a bow at the same time and Yue could feel Orochimaru roll his eyes beside her. Tobi also did not seem impressed, instead staring with a look that quite plainly said that he was lost. To be fair Kama wore the same look, along with a slight bit of what the hell?

"I am Tatsuja Pazzia!" the male says with a wink, holding a snake all of a sudden and the other flips a card before spinning around and posing with a huge grin.

"And I am Tatsuja Forza!"

"You're both idiots..." Orochimaru sighs and Yue has to laugh as they both dramatically fall flat on their faces. Tobi blinks and frowns before finally seeming to get something about it. His eyes light up and he smiles, Shiro poking out of his hair as he laughs. Tobi covers his mouth eventually only to catch sight of their rather put out faces and burst into laughter all over again. Yue finds herself giggling, and even Kama grins. This is too perfect. "Even the children agree" Orochimaru says shaking his head.

"Oro'maru... Guardian, ours!" Tobi says abruptly, deciding that on the spot. Kama jumps and Yue spins around. Her eyes narrow at their youngest member but he is not looking at them at all. Instead the black haired boy is focusing on the snake charmer. Hair blowing in the wind, arms curled around his Jackal plush, eyes focused and an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. The same look that Yue only ever recalls seeing on him in some of the more difficult dilemmas that they were placed into. The more challenging simulations and tests. The ones that she still can not recall the results of.

If they were ever told the results.

So she falls silent and just watches. Orochimaru, seemingly bewildered looks down at Tobi and Yue feels herself tense just slightly. Leaning forwards nose twitching as she anxiously awaits the response.

"You... want me to be your Guardian?" Orochimaru even sounds bewildered. Tobi nods his head, short and sharp. Eyes spinning, crimson commas shining. Yue frowns and Kama shifts. The other adults do not seem to have any reactions. Until Chijin bristles, and snaps.

"What kind of idiots are you?" the brown haired man yells. "Don't you know who he is? He's the snake sannin of Konoha... and he's mad!" All three of them slowly turn to Chijin. And Tobi sniffs. Not good. Instantly Kama growls, furious and barring his sharp teeth. Yue feels her tail puff up and her ears snap straight up.

"WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE?" Yue screams, eyes narrowing to pinpricks as she glares. "What right do you have?" her nose twitches. "We are not idiots!" she snarls.

"And who cares if he is mad?" Kama shrugs tail swishing from side to side. "It just means he is special right... after all it is not like he is delayed... or disturbed..." he closes his eyes and seems to relax. But Yue knows that pose. His fangs are drawn, and he is more than willing to use them. More than ready to bite.

Just like in several of their stranger tests. The early day tests. She wonders about it now. Because how much do they remember of the earliest tests? The ones after they turned two, after they were able to walk... Although Tobi still did not start walking until he was bigger. Until he was four, and even then he struggled. She knows, and remembers that really Tobi only got the handle on walking after they turned five. It makes her wonder why.

But also it makes her think.

Because Tobi is different.

They are different. Ears and tails, and right now that man called the one who they have all decided to trust _Mad_. Which while not bad, is still clearly something bad. So they all glare, and bristle. Ready to react.

"Calm down..." Orochimaru sighs. He sounds bemused, and they all look back at him. Tobi twitches his tail before turning around and she shoots Chijin one last dirty look before hopping over to the snake man.

"OURS!" She declares, resting a hand on his arm. "Our guardian... and that is our decision!" She is stubborn with this declaration, firm and sure and will not be moved on it. The boys both clearly agree with her, Tobi firming himself up glaring at anyone who dares to even move to try and change their decision. Even Orochimaru himself. Kama crosses his arms and glares in general, sticking closely to the snake man.

And. Forza bursts into laughter. All three children start at the sound, heads whipping around to stare at the orange haired lady. Yue bristles, ears shifting and teeth bared.

"Alright!" Pazzia shrugs, smiling. "I guess that is that, huh Aneki?"

"That's it alright!" Forza grins at the three and Yue narrows her eyes, ears swivelling around. More footsteps, yet another approaches. "About time!" Forza straightens. Even Pazzia seems to firm up, more serious. Chijin grumbles as the brunet stalks forwards and Orochimaru rolls his eyes before gathering the three up and turning to face the new comer.

Dark hair, dark eyes, grumbling, and... Yue blinks. The person who emerges has a cat clinging to their arm. Claws dug deep and fur sticking up, matching their spiky hair. A grumpy look, a single missing shoe and... it is completely against what they had been expecting.

Sure Forza and Pazzia are well, what they are. But considering the way that everyone has adopted more serious stances.

"Who are you?" Kama snaps, looking down his nose at the man who looks up with a blank expression. A serious expression and one that might have been more effective if there was not a yowling cat attached to his arm.

"I. Am Uchiha Torikeshi!" the man states.

"Uchiha?" And now Tobi is staring at the man, eyes wide.


	9. Finding Meaning

**Finding Meaning**

Tobi stares.

Eyes wide and absorbing. Tobi feels his eyes spin and shift, feels them change and he can see the way that the man sharpens and becomes clearer. Each fine hair, and the slight rippling of the fur of the cat. And he stares.

The man does not look anything like him.

Maybe similar hair, something in the face. But... Tobi can not see himself in the man at all. So Tobi wonders, how is he _Uchiha_ like this man is. And he comes to the conclusion that it has to have something to do with the marks. Their blessings. Relaxing he feels his eyes returning to normal even though the man is staring with an open mouth at him.

"Tobi Uchiha?" he asks pulling up his sleeve just enough to show the word that curves on his arm. "Tobi, Kite!" he says fingers tracing the fine characters that are there. The man stares at the word, still clearly trying to figure out what Tobi means. What Tobi is asking him, Tobi waits, Tobi knows that people sometimes take a while to understand things. To do things. So Tobi waits, and he knows that both Yue and Kama are waiting with him. Watching.

"Uh... well, mine says Black." the man says awkwardly and the cat on his arm hisses and spits. "I... uh... you have the Sharingan?" he yelps as the cat rakes their claws down his arm. "At... wait how old are you?"

"Tobi is five!" Tobi nods his head, wondering what Sharingan means. It seems like it would be pretty important. Both Orochimaru and now this man, Torikeshi have mentioned it. "Shari-gun?" he asks trying to understand. The man stares before sighing and shaking his head.

"Our... the Uchiha Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan!" Torikeshi states, sounding so proud. Lost Tobi just stares tilting his head. Until Orochimaru sighs and steps in.

"I doubt that any of them would understand the idea of a Kekkei Genkai." Orochimaru states carefully considering them. "In fact I would be surprised if they even know what Chakra and shinobi were."

"Tobi knows Chakra!" Tobi waves his arms around happy that there is something he recognizes. "Tobi life! Chakra life" Tobi remembers that in one of the books and he frowns. "Shinobi?" He falters, because he does recognize the word. He knows what it means. As do Kama and Yue, they both subtly tense, watching.

"Well, I could be wrong." Orochimaru smiles. "After all, we have no way of telling exactly what Shāo thought he was doing"

"Blessings!" Tobi states, answering. Fingers running over the word on his arm. "Shāo blessings." he blinks and returns his gaze to Torikeshi, ignoring the stiffening of Chijin, Pazzia and Forza. "Tobi is Uchiha?"

"Well, clearly." Torikeshi says with a shrug. "Although, we'll probably have to do a proper check once we get back to Konoha..." The man looks over at Kama and Yue frowning. "Them to. After all Yue has the Nohara Clan symbols clearly marking her... and Kama... well I've only ever seen hair that particular shade of silver in one family, the Hatake!"

"Family?" Tobi asks, looking over at his siblings before returning his gaze to Torikeshi. "Oro'maru?"

"He is accurate. In Konoha you might have family." The snake man inclines his head, responding to Tobi. Tobi frowns though, before looking at the word on his wrist. _Kite_. He does not know the meaning behind it, just like Yue and Kama do not know the meaning of their words. How could they, no one does. That is what Shāo seemed to be seeking, some kind of meaning. Or something like that, after all the white man never told them what he wanted. What he was doing. He just took them to the Pain Room on a schedule.

Of course Shāo never really done anything. Not without a reason, even if Tobi still does not know what that reason ever was. It would seem that nobody else did either.

So Tobi wonders, and watches. And now he wonders about something else. _Family_ , and _Family other than each other_. What will that be like? And what is this Konoha place? Tobi frowns, and he steps backwards, away from the adults and closer to Kama and Yue. He does not like how fast everything is changing. How quickly everything is moving and forcing him to try and keep up. His grip on Jackal tightens and he feels his lip tremble.

"Tobi no want... Tobi wants... Tobi wants home..." Tobi looks away snuggling Jackal and sniffing. "Tobi wants home now..."

"Can we... can we go back home?" Yue asks stepping forwards as Kama shifts and Tobi feels his ears droop. He can feel his tail curling and trembles through his body. "We want to go home now. Not to Konoha..."

"Not to... Not to Konoha? How could you not want to come back to Konoha?" Chijin sounds absolutely bewildered and Tobi does not look at the man, instead looking to Orochimaru who is focusing on the snake. On Ishi.

"Tobi no want..." Tobi sniffs scrunching up his face. Burning at the edge of his eyes and he sniffs again. "Tobi wants HOME!" He begins to wail and Yue speeds forwards growling. Kama howls and all three shift so that they are back to back almost. Facing all the adults. Orochimaru frowns and gets up in one fluid movement quickly making his way over to them. "Tobi wants... Tobi wants Shāo..." he sniffs. Holding Jackal closer, and allowing a few tears to trail down his cheeks. "Tobi wants Shāo and Home..." because Shāo is home. Shāo is safe... yet, Tobi peers up at Orochimaru and carefully, not releasing Jackal reaches up.

Arms stretching out in a silent plea to be picked up.

The snake man stares, shocked for a moment before he carefully, hesitantly picks Tobi up. Tobi tucks his face into his neck and curls into Orochimaru. Jackal pressed against his chest, arms wrapped around him holding him secure and face hidden he can feel himself relaxing just a little bit. Kama and Yue shuffle where they are but Tobi does not look up. He just remains there and finally allows his tears to flow.

He wants to go home.

He wants to go back to the place that he knows. Even if it is not always nice there it is home and familiar and this is not.

"Tobi wants home..." it is barely a breath and he can feel the man awkwardly rubbing his back.

"I know..." Orochimaru sounds uncomfortable, as if he is unfamiliar with this situation. "You will be safer in Konoha though... and there will be many people for you to meet... and, I will be there." Orochimaru says, trying to soothe him and Tobi merely sniffs.

He does not understand. Not really. Why do things have to change. He rubs his eyes and pulls away lip still trembling as he looks around. Chijin looks distinctly uncomfortable. The Tatsuja twins are both standing side by side watching and Torikeshi has finally gotten the cat off his arm... it has migrated to clinging to his face and there are incomprehensible screams coming from beneath it.

"Okay... Tobi knows..." Tobi whispers, sinking back into the man and half closing his eyes. "Tobi knows..."

* * *

Tobi is five. Tobi now knows what it is like outside of the underground and he knows what the sun is. It has been a month, and Tobi is not entirely sure how he feels about the changes. He does not remember that much about the trip to this new place, the trip to Konoha. He only remembers that it was boring, and long. And that they got carried a fair bit when they could not keep up and fell asleep.

Tobi also remembers that they were not allowed to stay with Orochimaru.

The bandage man would not let them. Tobi hates the bandage man. Tobi also hates this new place. Tobi is still with Yue and Kama, but now everything is loud, bright and too often Tobi finds himself crying. Unable to cope with all the noise and the feeling of everything around them. Also they live in a strange building with many other children. Tobi hates it, so many of the other children will grab him by the tail or ears and pull on them. Yanking and hurting him.

Tobi does not like this place.

Tobi wants Orochimaru. So do Kama and Yue, he can see it in the way that Kama keeps on biting anyone who tries to mess with his space. The way that Yue is always just on edge. Darting around, and unable to do fluff her tail. None of them are happy about being in this building. Orochimaru is familiar. So are Chijin, Pazzia, Forza and Torikeshi, but Orochimaru is the one that they chose. The one who they saw first and who showed them the outside. So Tobi wants Orochimaru, and no one else.

Especially not the bandage man.

Tobi hates the bandage man. Something about the man is just wrong. It is not even the fact that the man is wrapped up in bandages. It is something else. Tobi does not know what it is exactly but he knows that something about the man is wrong. So he hates the man, and he did not know that he could hate. It is not a feeling that he likes, burning in his veins and making him want to dig his teeth into something, to rip and tear, to destroy and _be rid of it forever_. Tobi _hates_ the bandage man.

Tobi just wants Orochimaru.

Tobi just wants to feel like he is not being trapped. Because that is what this place feels like. Too many people, too much noise and he is trapped.

 _Tobi wants to go home..._

Tobi curls up with his tail around him, shielding him and his ears flattened down in his hair. Shiro is gone, the mouse taken away by the people who run this place. Tobi misses his small companion but does not dare to ask anyone where they are. He knows that he will not get an answer. He knows so he does not ask, he just curls up and tries not to be noticeable. He does not like the other children.

They are too different.

None of them have tails or ears. Not like Tobi, not like Yue and Kama. But like the adults around them. Smaller rounder ears on the sides of their heads, not tail at all. It makes Tobi wonder if maybe that is why they are special.

Special because they are not the same.

Tobi does not like thinking about it. So he tries not to think, instead curling up and watching. Ears pressing down against his head and just longing. For Orochimaru, for Shāo, for home and safety. For the familiar.

Tobi is not like Kama and Yue, who he can see with the other children. Who he can see are able to play and mostly handle the others. Even if they both do have their issues, Kama with his personal space and limit, Yue with her tail. But Tobi can not play, he can not handle the noise and the other children. Even if Kama and Yue both have their issues they can. So he just watches, holding Jackal and with wide eyes. He just watches as they play and adjust and slowly seem to forget.

Tobi does not understand why things have to change. Why they had to change. He does not like it.

Tobi also does not understand the Clans. The people who come and go and look similar to them. Similar to Torikeshi... and Tobi does not understand it. Tobi wants nothing to do with these strange people. Tobi does not know them, aside from Torikeshi and he does not think that they matter, so what if they share blood.

So what...

So Tobi stubbornly refuses to look at them. Curling in on himself more and more instead. Jackal held to his chest and eyes focusing on nothing. Tobi just wants to go home, or Orochimaru there to be something familiar. Because Orochimaru is like Shāo.

Seeking, searching and with that look that says that he sees something beyond what is just there.

Tobi wonders what they see... and his hand creeps to cover his mark, the word on his arm. Eyes flicker up to the window and he stares at the sky, clouds and wonders. Because he does not like this change but...

Tobi copes.

And he waits to know what the people think that they are doing. Because it really feels like yet another change is coming... and Tobi does not know if he looks forwards to it or dreads it. Especially since as always he is behind. After all, Kama and Yue have already managed to adjust and wind down. Calm down and accept the changes.

His fingers dance over the word on his arm, and he closes his eyes.


	10. Big Heart, Bright Eyes

**Big Heart, Bright Eyes**

Obito is Thirteen.

 _Obito is late._

Always, always late. Of course this time it is not his fault. Honestly their mission just ran a little long is all. It's not his fault.

The fact is they are late. So when they finally arrive to Konoha they are oblivious to what has happened. Oblivious and unaware. Except that Obito knows, he can tell that the Clan is upset about something. On edge about something, and there is a certain tension in Konoha. Obito doesn't know what it is but he is alert as soon as they arrive. Alert and notices the way that Kakashi is taken aside by some of the ANBU. Taken to somewhere else. So is Rin.

He is able to go back home though.

To an empty house.

Except that along the way Torikeshi appears. He stares at his what, eighth cousin, with an unimpressed look. Everyone in the Clan knows how Torikeshi generally fails at life. Generally tends to mess up and fail in new and spectacular ways. So he wonders why the man is now in front of him, looking rather nervous... and holding a white mouse? Distracted Obito diverts his attention to the small pure white rodent in Torikeshi's hands. A small mouse that seems rather unhappy about it's position if it's squealing is any indication.

Finally he huffs and crosses his arms over his chest.

"What do you want Torikeshi-Juukei?" He asks feeling a small twitch at his eye as the man awkwardly laughs and shifts on the spot. "Come on, Juukei, I don't have the time for this... I need to get home..."

"To an empty house?" Torikeshi stops him from pushing past and the mouse chooses that moment to bite his cousin's hand. Obito watches in fascination as Torikeshi's face goes from somewhat controlled, to scrunching up and finally he howls in pain. The mouse released scampers away quickly, and right into Obito's jacket sleeve. There it just sort of huddles as his cousin whimpers and holds his hand. The man doesn't glare but huffs before looking back at him. "Anyway... Obito please..."

"I don't have time today Torikeshi..." Obito grumbles, surprised by the way that the mouse is perfectly fine and not attacking him. "I really need to make sure that..."

"Please! Obito... we're at the end of our rope, and the kid won't respond to anyone!" Torikeshi grasps him tightly and Obito actually flinches subtly. He does not enjoy being grabbed and held in place like this at all. "Please, Tobi won't even respond to me anymore... or Kama and Yue..."

"Okay..." Obito awkwardly states, a little off put by Torikeshi's actions... "Uh... who's Tobi?"

"Oh right!" Torikeshi abruptly releases him and Obito is quick to put himself well out of Torikeshi's reach. "You only just got back!" Before Torikeshi can continue there is the sound of someone clearing their throat and a faint sound of laughter. Obito turns his head to the side to meet the unimpressed gaze of his Shukufu. Unimpressed and rather annoyed. Obito knows not to cross the man in this state and steps back.

Which gives Fugaku a clear path to Torikeshi.

Itachi is there as well and Obito distracts himself by kneeling down to his itoko's height. The small four year old smiles at him, before laughing when the small white mouse that Obito had honestly forgotten about pokes its head out. Smiling Obito laughs as well before looking up. Just in time to see Fugaku slug Torikeshi in the nose. Obito winces, that would hurt.

He wonders what idiotic statement passed Torikeshi's lips to garner that reaction though. Fugaku sighs and looks back at them. Itachi laughs before falling silent. Fugaku stalks over to them, looking far too done with the situation. The man stops there and looks down at them both.

"Fugaku-shukufu?" Obito ventures nervously while Itachi tilts his head and looks up at his Otousan. "What's going on?" he asks, suddenly acutely aware that something big is clearly going down. The clan is on edge. "And... Who is Tobi?"

"Tobi?" Itachi speaks up confused. Looks between them both and then up at his father. "Does he mean the orphan Orochimaru-san brought back last month?"

"Last month?" Obito repeats blankly, before the rest of the question catches up. "Wait... Orochimaru-sama brought home an orphan?" Hopefully the kid was okay, not that Obito suspected Orochimaru of anything but the man was a little bit... different. A little too scientific for Obito but he was pleasant company. Companionable silence and the aura of power, also snakes were cool.

"Actually he brought home three..." Fugaku sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Torikeshi was with him... along with Kimera Chijin and the trouble Tatsuja twins. Also, these three are a little bit... _different_ " There is something about the way that Fugaku says the word that makes Obito straighten. Perk up and focus. "You'll meet them later... Right now... Can you just watch Itachi for the day, Oh"

Fugaku startles when the white mouse squeaks. Races up and perches in Obito's hair. The man blinks and looks at the mouse, before sighing and shaking his head. Drained Fugaku also motions to the mouse.

"Also watch Shiro... I highly doubt that the clan will ever get Tobi to accept us if we managed to somehow kill his pet..." he pauses considering "the mouse's terrarium should be set up already in your house... since Tobi is closest in relation to you, although once he is settled you will likely have an older Clan member joining you..."

"What..?" Obito jolts but before he can even ask anything Fugaku is gone. Storming away, leaving Obito with Itachi hanging off him and a small white mouse perched in his hair. He scowls before sighing and simply walking towards his house. Making sure to hold Itachi's hand so that the four year old wouldn't just dart away to who knows where. He does not feel like playing _where is the genius?_ today. He just wants to relax at home. Settle back into the routine of being in Konoha. Not deal with the fact that apparently everything has changed.

Konoha finds orphans all the time.

But... there is an orphaned Uchiha among them if Fugaku's words are an indication... and one related to him. At least, according to the clan there is one related to him. He is not sure how he feels about that. Excited, anxious? Unsure… He does not know how to feel, so he focuses on Itachi, and the mouse, Shiro perched up in his hair.

There is not much else that he can do. After all, he has not yet met his newest relative, or any of the other orphans. So he decides that he will wait, hold off on his judgment until after he has met this Tobi.

And then he will decide what to think about the situation…

* * *

Kama stares at the boy across from him. He narrows his eyes and does not know how to feel. They share some features. That is certainly true, this boy is the first person who he has met so far with the same fine silver hair, same narrow and sharp features(even beneath that quite honestly _stupid_ mask), same eyes, and body shape… But at the same time Kama does not approve.

Kama does not like this strange boy at all. He does not care if they share the same DNA. The same blood. He does not care. Because the other boy is rude, dismissive and all together annoying. So Kama does not like this strange boy at all. So he shifts from staring to glaring.

"I do not care if we are related! Go away! Let me alone! Let me go back to Yue and Tobi, MY SIBLINGS!" He curls his hands and glares at the older boy. At his apparent _only relative_. And he really does not care. He just wants to know if Tobi and Yue are safe. If they are okay, especially Tobi… because he knows that the younger boy is having trouble. He knows that the smaller boy has completely stopped responding. Completely stopped reacting. It worries him.

So he does not care about finding any of his so called relatives.

They do not matter. He knows that the _Uchiha_ have been trying to get Tobi to respond to them. He knows that the _Uchiha_ are all related to Tobi, he knows…

But he does not care. _Tobi is his brother._ Not this strange boy, not anyone else. And Yue, _Yue is their sister_. He does not want any other siblings.

"I do not need you! I need to go back home… Home to Shāo, and… and…" He glares curling his hands again. "Or… or you could let us live with the person who we _chose!_ Orochimaru!" he says narrowing his eyes. The other boy actually blinks before furrowing his brown. Kama ignores him, instead standing up and storming from the room.

He refuses to even acknowledge the other boy as anything any more. The other boy just is not worth it.

So he storms off. And runs into Yue, who is standing with the girl who came in. The one who they claimed Yue was related to. He narrows his eyes and glares at them. Because Yue is looking up at the other girl with wide eyes and a fluffy waving tail. Clearly they get along, they must have had a better first impression.

It leaves him with something sour in his mouth.

A bad taste and he looks away, determined not to care about it. If Yue is happy about the situation that is her business. He will never admit that it kind of hurts when she leaves with the other girl. And he definitely not admit that he notices that the other boy seems almost upset when he later removes himself from the room.

After all he does not care.

He slinks into the room where Tobi is. And… he stares at the other boy, still curled up. Still completely unresponsive. Even with the man who is trying to gently coax Tobi out of his shell. Coax Tobi to respond. Even when there is no reason for him to keep curled up and refrain from responding.

"Sir…" Kama holds up a hand and the man snaps around, black eyes narrowing at him. "It is time to go…" he crosses his arms over his chest and glares at the man. Who sighs and straightens. Tobi makes no move to indicate that he noticed. Remaining fixed in position, Kama eyes the smaller boy before returning his gaze to the man. He does not care about this person either, just another Uchiha trying to steal Tobi away from them…

Just like that girl succeeded with Yue.

They are all trying to split them up, take them away from each other, and he does not understand why.

"We did not want your help!" he hisses at the man as he walks away. "We were just fine… We were happy! And now we are here and everything is going wrong! Tobi does not respond any more, and Yue is gone and… We did not want your help…" he growls. No one is there to hear him anymore.

He does not care.

He just wants things to go back to the way that they were.

He sinks down against the wall opposite Tobi. His tail swishing around him and his ears lowering. And he wraps his arms around his knees and buries his face.

"We did not want this… We were fine…" he whispers closing his eyes and fighting off tears. "It… it is not fair…" And there is a noticeable empty feeling to the room. Something, _someone_ missing. Yue, gone with the girl, gone with her _family_. He hopes that it will only be temporary. He hopes that soon they will all be back together.

All of them.

Shāo as well. Because for all that the man is strange, with little reason to him, the man is still their Guardian. The one who has always been there.

The one who raised them.

And that is familiar, that is safe… this place with all its new things and changes is not.

Kama just wants to go home…


	11. Moonbeam and Aloe

**Moonbeam and Aloe**

Yue knows that she is at a cross in the path. As she sits across from the person who could be a mirror to her. She knows that this is a place where she will be forced to make a decision. Maybe not now, but at some point in the future. And she has no idea what would be the right choice. What would be the wrong choice.

There are no hints.

Not even any small ones. There is only her, and the girl across from her. _Nohara Rin_. Her potential sister. After all the papers do not lie. But it brings to light a dilemma. Because how can she possibly choose.

How can she face her brothers when she now has a sister, and a family. An Uncle who will take care of them both… and she does not know what to choose.

"I… do not know…" she says ears dropping down and eyes looking at the table. Trying not to meet the deep warm brown eyes of her counterpart. "I do not know what the right choice is here…" she whispers, fingers digging into her arms. She shivers. "I just… Tobi and Kama are my brothers…" she raises her head to finally meet Rin in the eyes. "We have always been together… maybe… I will try…"

And Rin smiles, soft and so full of understanding and… Yue just knows that things will work themselves out. Maybe not instantly but she knows. And she knows that one day the boys will understand.

Now she just hopes that they do not feel too betrayed. After all, how could she do this?

* * *

Rin leads them both home. Yue holds the older girls hand with silent wonder. Amazement and eyes that look all around them wide with awe, trying to take in everything that they can. She still does not know if she has made the right choice, but she can not go back and change it. So she keeps walking with Rin.

The hand holding onto her own feels so big, so different and she is overwhelmed. Because this is so different and new and…

Yue wonders if this is how family is supposed to feel.

Not just people who sleep in a pile together. But a feeling of love among them, of belonging. It is amazing and Yue thinks that she can understand why these people are trying so hard. She thinks that she can understand it. If they just want to let them know this feeling, she can understand because it is amazing. A feeling that they deserve to feel. But, it is not without problems and without questions.

Because it makes her wonder, why would they be doing it this way? Like this? Not explaining properly beyond the fact that they are family.

Why would they not explain things? Why would they not explain… it did not help. It did not help them make their choices. In fact it makes it harder for them. Yue knows that Kama would never choose them. Knows that he will be stubborn, and refuse to accept any new people at every turn. He will not accept that he has a proper family, and Tobi…

Yue knows that Tobi struggles even without the added pressure that this new situation adds.

Even without the fact that they now have more family. She knows Tobi struggles because it is so completely new. A new place, a new world, a new way to live. Too much new stuff for him to deal with.

Yue decides not to think about it anymore.

Instead she looks around, back towards the disappearing orphanage and then back up at Rin. It is strange. She does not entirely know what to think. But she has chosen this, chosen to try and adjust to this new shift in their life. But she knows looking back, that the boys will take longer to adjust and shift, to even start to try.

Followers rather than leaders.

Always lingering and holding back, just a little bit. Especially Tobi.

So she is the one who takes the first steps. The first big changes. By walking with Rin towards her new home. Towards a new life. There is a twist in her tummy and she is not entirely sure how she feels about this. She just knows that it is a way to adjust and change and build their new lives.

Shāo is not coming back.

She does not completely understand, not as much as she might when she is older, but she does understand that whatever has happened to Shāo he is unable to take care of them anymore. That they will never see him again, so it is time to step away and into a new life. So she has made this choice, hand in hand with Rin to step towards a new life.

A new direction.

Rin stops and she looks up, at the building in front of them. Her nose twitches and her ears swivel. She does not know what to think about the building. It is nice… She supposes, kind of small but quaint. Fitting. Considering how nice and understanding that Rin has been so far, Yue does not think that she really expected anything more than what the house is.

"Shukufu" Rin calls out and Yue startles looking at the older girl. Rin simply smiles and calls again. "Mamoru-Shukufu!" she stops and tilts her head, smiling again. A slightly more mysterious smile and there is a shout, followed by crashing, and thumps from within the house.

They stand there alone for only a few more moments before there is a particularly loud crash and the front door flies open. Spitting out a man with hair that matches theirs, and dark green eyes, the same purple rectangles on his cheeks. Yue blinks down at where he has faceplanted on the path in front of them and Rin just continues to smile beside her. As if this is completely normal.

"I'm here!" The man shouts springing up and Yue can not help it. She darts to hide behind Rin and stares with wide eyes at him. He laughs, awkwardly running a hand through his flyaway hair before looking at them both. A completely lost look replaces the sheepish one. "Uh… when did you… wait? Did Takeo and Katsumi come back to life? Are they hiding behind the next corner?" he narrows his eyes and Yue just blinks, confused.

Who the hell are Takeo and Katsumi?

"Nope…" Rin says, a small frown, a wistful look crosses her face before she shakes her head. Gently Rin guides Yue to stand in front of her. "This is Nohara Yue… one of the rescued Orphans"

"Ahh…" Mamoru nods his head in understanding before frowning. "But I thought that they all declared Orochimaru as their guardian?"

"We did!" Yue says and Mamoru blinks, opens his mouth to ask but Yue quickly cuts him off. "But the man with all the bandages… Danzo I think? He said that it was not a possibility…"

"But… he doesn't have any jurisdiction over that kind of thing… it's more on the civilian side…" Mamoru mutters looking at Rin who is also frowning. "Oh well…" he shrugs and brushes himself off. "Whatever the reason, welcome to the family… I guess… Oh… speaking of which, while there are not many of us there is a clan… sort of… so uh"

"Is the reunion coming up soon?" Rin asks and Mamoru laughs nervously.

"Something like that… you know, since the war finally seems to be reaching an end… so everyone is getting ready to come back home… or at least work closer to home in the Hospital." He responds and Yue confused frowns. "So you got brought here just in time pretty much Yue!" he rests his hands on his hips and smiles.

"He speaks as if the Nohara are a small clan…" Rin shakes her head and Yue looks up at the older girl confused. Rin noticing the expression chuckles and merely shakes her head. "Oh don't worry Yue. We're not a Clan as big as some of them can be…"

"What do you mean by Clan though?" Yue frowns, because she remembers. The Uchiha are a _Clan_ and that it is important because Tobi is an Uchiha. "Is it important?"

"Well…" Rin frowns, before smiling and looking up at the clouds drifting by in the sky. "It is your extended family, part of where you come from." She smiles at Yue who blinks tilting her head. "Although, different Clans put different emphasis on it, it depends. After all, the Nohara are not as well known as others, like the Senju, or the Uchiha… or even Kakashi's clan, the Hatake, as few of them there are here in Konoha…" she stands up and motions into the house. "Come on, now, let me introduce you properly…"

"Okay…" Yue gives one last look down the path back to the Orphanage before following Rin into the house.

* * *

Rin still isn't sure how she feels about all this. A month away on a mission and they come back to siblings. _Cloned siblings_. She knows that Obito doesn't know yet, his clan are focusing on calming the child down before introducing them, which is fair enough but, she doesn't know how to personally feel about this.

Yue is sweet enough but…

The girl doesn't seem to be going along with them because she wants to. It worries Rin really because she can see the way that the younger girl is worried. The way that she keeps looking back, in the same direction. Expecting something to be there that just isn't and… Rin doesn't feel as if they have the right to make these choices for the children. They did make a pretty strong choice for themselves already if her Uncle's words are any indication and… she isn't sure how she feels about that either. Orochimaru is one of those shinobi who're deep in the grey area of the morality of the system after all.

Experiments and the fact that she knows he doesn't quite view people in the same shades as everyone else.

At the same time though, she has seen the way that Orochimaru works with his snakes and… he is not the worst. In fact if Rin is honest he is really one of the better options. Better than some people in Konoha. Maybe a bit unsettling and strange, but…

He is the person who they chose. Which makes Rin feel uncomfortable because here in this situation she is the one who is in an antagonistic position. An obstacle to them because they already have an idea of where they want to be. And Rin can clearly see this even though Yue is trying, the smaller girl with her rabbit features. She is trying and Rin can appreciate that, but she knows that it is not a situation that the smaller girl is actually enjoying, because they already had a plan. Or the bare bones of one.

Rin needs to fix this.

This situation needs to be fixed.

So Rin plots. In a not very evil _(but it totally is like her matchmaking plots)_ but maybe a little bit evil way. She plots and schemes and through it all maintains her classic smile.

A smile that can hide everything.

At least, for as long as she wants it to.


	12. Fly Away, Fly Away like a Kite

**Fly Away, Fly Away like a Kite**

Tobi does not care about the people who come and go. Tobi does not care.

He does not care.

He can not care.

He wants to go home. He wants Shāo. He wants Orochimaru. He wants… he wants.

Tobi blinks and opens his eyes, he peers around the room before looking out the window. Up at the moon. It is a full circle in the sky. He stares up at it before standing slowly. It feels weird, because he has not stood for a while. He looks around spotting Kama curled up sleeping, the other boy has his ears splayed over the pillow and his tail is twitching. Tobi sniffs before looking back out at the moon. His ears twitch, swiveling around and his tail twitches.

Shivering he hugs himself before walking with silent steps over to the window.

It is surprisingly easy to slide open and he has to quickly glance back at Kama. Takes a deep breath and jumps out. Easily landing on his own two feet. He breaths in the air, and reaches back in to grab Jackal. Turning around he faces away from the building. Takes another deep breath and finally walks off.

Tobi does not know where he is going, he just knows that he is going away.

He is leaving, to go somewhere else.

His bare feet make no sound, and he does not feel hungry or tired or anything. He just keeps walking, one step, two, three, four. Further and further away from the place that has split them up. Yue is gone. Kama is stubborn and Tobi knows. This is a gateway to something, so he leaves, like the wind has caught him and is taking him somewhere. He follows the guidance of the stars in the sky and the moon only stopping once he reaches a compound. He looks up at the symbol overhead.

Familiar.

Red and white, a fan. He takes a deep breath, hugs jackal and walks through the gate beneath the symbol.

There is a chill that passes through his body but he does not hesitate. He keeps walking, hearing the reassurance in the wind and feeling the kisses from the moon. And in the shadows, he can sense it. Following, watching, judging.

The golden shadow.

Tobi does speed up a bit, before finally stopping. A house out of the way, a building lonely and forgotten and… Tobi takes a deep breath before reaching up to the door handle. It squeaks when he pushes it open and he peers around nervous. Blinking around he steps in and pushes the door closed.

It is quiet. Tobi hugs Jackal tighter and feels his ears press down into his head. He takes a deep breath, familiarizing himself with the scents of the house, the scent of the only other person here. And he licks his lips and calls.

"Hello!" he pauses and adds "Obito-nii?" because he does have ears, and he does listen. He has heard the name so many times, and knows that the other, whoever he is, is the one he is closely related to. And if the whispers of the wind are right…

"Who?" a voice responds. "Itachi is that you? It's what… MIDNIGHT? What are you…" a light turns on and he stares at the boy across from him, blue pajamas with the clan symbol all over them. "You're not Itachi…"

"Nope… Tobi is Tobi" Tobi responds forcing his voice to sound light. The other boy blinks at him before rubbing at his eyes and frowning.

"Do you have-"

"Jackal!" Tobi states cutting the older boy off and holding up his plush. "Tobi loves Jackal. Tobi left 'cause Kama need space!" Tobi nods his head and his ears twitch. His tail swishes and he shifts a little bit in place. "Also, wind called!"

"Right… the wind…" the other boy says sounding like he does not believe Tobi in the least. Tobi does not mind, it certainly is not a very believable story. Still he nods his head and smiles. "Okay, so uh Tobi… why come here? I mean Fugaku-shukufu and some of the elders _(including Torikeshi although I don't know how much help he'd be…)_ have been trying to get you to respond… why didn't you go to one of them? We haven't even formally met yet…"

"The wind called!" Tobi says again.

"What does that even mean?" the other boy huffs crossing his arms and frowning. Tobi also frowns and he looks down at the mats on the floor. "Ahh, it doesn't matter, you're here now I suppose." The other boy sighs and Tobi looks up, eyes following the other as he moves. "Okay, I think that the spare room is habitable… I uh… haven't exactly cleaned it for a good month or two… you okay with spiders?"

"Tobi fine!" Tobi assures as the older boy awkwardly leads him through the house. "Shiro? SHIRO!" Tobi abruptly races forwards, pushing past the older boy and into the room. In their tank, curled up with their nose touching the tip of their tail is Shiro. It is amazing and Tobi can feel his eyes moisten. A smile growing and he looks up when hesitant footsteps stop at the door. "Shiro happy!" Tobi points at the small white mouse. "No sleep danger…" the mouse would not be sleeping the way that they are if they had been in danger. "Thanks!"

"Uh… you're welcome…" Obito awkwardly says running a hand over the back of his head. Tobi only smiles at the older boy before frowning. Tobi still only has the single set of clothing, and he does not want to sleep in the scratchy clothing. He sort of frowns and shakes his arms before just pulling the top off, which is responded to with a lot of flailing.

Tobi does not really care, he just shakes his head and looks at the doorway. Which is empty, he frowns before shrugging. Returning to his task, only to lift his head back up when Obito is right there, awkwardly offering some old clothes, in his size. As if the older boy had kept them. Tobi stares, blinks and finally beams up at the older boy. Obito flushes when the smaller boy accepts them before wrapping himself around him.

"Thanks!" Tobi chirps, Obito quickly leaves the room, closing the door behind him. Tobi smiles at the door, before he hastens to finish changing.

The new clothes are soft, comfortable against his skin. But he frowns at the socks and with a small grumble throws them to the side. Sniffing he opens his mouth and tastes the musky dust of the room. It is actually very familiar, makes him feel more welcome. As if Tobi is back underground. Back in the place that he had lived before Orochimaru came and showed them the outside world.

Before they came here. Tobi decides that he likes it.

"Obito-nii!" He opens the door and peers out to see Obito still standing there, looking just as tired as before. Tobi smiles up at the other boy who yawns. "Night… Thanks!"

* * *

Obito wakes up the next morning in something of a daze. He is not sure if what happened during the night actually happened or was just a weird dream. Either way it doesn't really make that much of a difference as he hurries through his morning routine. Brush teeth, make bed, double check that his clothing is on the right way, maybe attempt to tame his hair at least a little bit. It is only when he moves into the kitchen to grab something quick that he is pulled up.

The child from the previous night is right there.

And now that it's lighter he can see clearly the features that had pulled him up short the previous night. Curved ears that stuck out of messy raven hair, and a fluffy waving two toned tail, black over tan. Subtly marked as it is. And he stares, unsure what to do because _that wasn't a dream!?_

"Uh…" The child turns, onyx eyes that matched his own meeting his eyes and he coughs. "I'll make us something to eat then… anything that you would prefer?" the child simply shakes his head and sits back onto the chair, shifting a bit uncomfortably. Which he can't blame the kid for, it would be difficult with that tail. "Okay… something simple then…" he mutters still in a bit of a daze.

"Tobi is Tobi!" the child says and he already knows this. He already knows, but he does not say anything instead focusing on the cooking. "And you Obito-nii!"

"Right…" Obito looks back at the child and frowns. "Does anybody know that you're here?" Tobi hums and shakes his head and that just makes Obito frown more. And that is when he notices that the boy is still bare foot. Toes curling and it must be cold. He knows that civilians have issues about temperature so… why isn't the kid wearing the socks? Did he even give them to him?

He decides that he won't wonder. Instead he finishes up the cooking and sets a plate down for Tobi, and proceeds to grab one for himself. The small child happily digs in, completely ignoring his chopsticks, not minding the heat at all and just scooping the food into his mouth. Obito can not help but stare because that is not something that he has ever really seen before. It is a bit out of place really.

"Tobi… you do know how to use chopsticks right?" he asks after swallowing his own mouthful. The child looks up at him with puffed up chipmunk cheeks and shakes his head. "Right… I'll add it to the list"

"List?" Tobi asks swallowing the food in his mouth and Obito nods his head, a bit distracted by the fact that he has only just noticed an extra guest. Shiro the small white mouse resting on the boy's head. Nose twitching and eyes half closed. "Okay…" Tobi smiles and Obito smiles back, because the expression is just so bright.

That is when he spots the time on the clock.

"I'M LATE!" Yelping he leaps up and rushes around the room, hopping as he pulls on his shinobi sandals before zipping out of the room. He doesn't even notice when Tobi follows after him. Obito only slows as he approaches the training ground. Where Kakashi, Rin and Minato-sensei are already waiting. And a guest, who Obito only notices once he catches his breath. Before he can ask though there is a squeal and Tobi launches himself past and at the other child.

"YUE!"

"What the..? TOBI?" Obito yelps as the boy laughs and the mini-Rin with bunny features grins. "Didn't you stay at the house?" Obito sounds so confused and lost, he carefully does not look towards Kakashi. He knows that the other boy did not have success with his own mini, and he is not going to look at the other boy. Not when it is family that is causing problems, it's only polite.

"Hai! Tobi come 'cause Yue!" Obito stares and Yue laughs her ears flipping up and small bunny tail waving.

"Right…" Obito looks over towards Minato and Kakashi at a bit of a loss and shrugs. "But… how did you know that she would be here?"

"Wind!" Tobi responds his tail happily waving in the air and Obito finds himself sighing. Of course, the wind. "Tobi knows Obito-nii not know… but wind calls!" Yue frowns, and Obito huffs shaking his head amused.

"Well, that settles that!" Minato cheerfully calls, beaming from the side. "Now Obito, Rin…"

"Training right?"

"Sparring!" Kakashi says, looking down his nose. Tobi rolls over at looks at them, with dark eyes wide.

"Kama nii-san!" Tobi points at Kakashi. "Kama not happy with you…" Kakashi flinches and Obito snaps his head around. Tobi shakes his head. Which causes Shiro to squeak and flash down to the small boy's shoulder. "Tobi not happy… Kama need time."

"Space, and he will adjust eventually…" Yue says standing up and nodding her head. Translating Tobi's words a little bit. Obito frowns and Kakashi spins, stalking away. "They are both the same… stubborn!" Yue huffs and Tobi blinks walking over to him. Obito barely pauses to wrap the smaller boy into a half hug. It is clear what the child wants. And Tobi grips Yue's hand leading her off to the side where they stand by Minato. Which leaves Obito standing across from Rin.

"Okay…" he shifts into a ready stance and takes a deep breath. Still a little hesitant to face off against his best friend. But with Kakashi pouting it isn't that much of a difference. Besides Rin does need to train in other areas some times.

"Begin!"

It is weird fighting Rin, even just in a Spar. She is smaller than him, smaller than Kakashi as well, even if the other boy is slightly shorter than him, Rin is shorter than them both. And despite the fact that she stays on the sidelines she hits hard. Hard and fast, because she is a medic.

Rin knows where to hit and how to hit that will hurt the most.

It's somewhat like fighting a Hyuga except that she doesn't have their eyes and the ability to completely shut down his chakra system.

Of course, this is a no weapons fight. Weaponless. Just hand to hand and Obito is not exactly the best. He knows that he is off balance even before he over reaches and sends himself to meet the ground for the second time. Not that he stays there long, he has perfected the spring back technique. Easily jumping back to his feet and spinning around.

The most annoying thing is Rin's constant smile though. Even though she is his best friend and he knows that she rarely drops it, it is a little bit grating. What is she always smiling about? What is there for her to smile about?

Tobi? Yue?

He doesn't know… So he just grits his teeth and continues to practice, trying to manage to land at least one hit. Since this is training for them both and what use is going easy? It will just hold them both back.


	13. Lightning Slices the Air

**Lightning Slices the Air**

Kakashi actually isn't that far away. Sitting up in one of the trees and glaring down at the spar taking place below. Glaring at the children as well. Just like his so called brother… Just like Kama they are different, with features that do not fit.

Ears and tails and…

Kakashi burns. He burns because he can see the way that those two are adjusting. Have accepted that they have family now. Tobi following Obito's movements with wide eyes. Yue sitting with a happy smile and ears that twitch and flicker. And it burns because he remembers meeting Kama. Remembers that little room and the child's complete dismissal of him. The sheer rejection and the fact that Kama wants nothing to do with him.

It burns.

So Kakashi glares. Angry because it's not fair that his team mates seemingly got accepted so easily by their little lab siblings. It burns.

Because it feels a little like losing Sakumo all over again. Except in reverse. Since he got told that Kama was his sibling. Genetically his little brother even if their origins are as far apart as they can be. So it hurts, a large amount to be rejected by the smaller child. And seeing Obito and Rin with their own lab made siblings is like rubbing lemon juice into the wound. Or salt, or vinegar…

Whatever it is it hurts.

Kakashi doesn't like it. At all, it doesn't feel fair. Why do they get along with the children but he is unable to do the same. It doesn't feel fair.

Which is why he just watches for the day. He doesn't want to admit that he is pouting. He doesn't want to admit… So he just sits and watches. Glaring at them until the training session is over. Glaring even after they all disappear from the area. Glaring because it chafes and he hates it. Because it is not fair.

Not fair at all.

But in who's case. Because he well remembers the boy's declaration.

"Or… or you could let us live with the person who we _chose!_ Orochimaru!"

He remembers and he understands.

Because they clearly made a choice. A choice that nobody is listening to. Which he recognizes and feels. Because he remembers the days after Sakumo's suicide. The days immediately after. People arguing over him even though he was a Chunin… he was still only eight.

He did not want anyone to take care of him.

Not at the time.

Eventually he wound up staying with Minato-sensei though. Which he adjusted to. But he knows the feeling of not been listened to. And he considers. Because the other boy, Tobi said that Kama needs time. Does he really?

That Kama needs space. Does he really?

Kakashi doesn't know, he doesn't know and he has no way to really tell. No way except what the others are saying. What the other children think about the situation and it doesn't feel right. It just does not feel right, because maybe the boy does need some space, but at the same time. What would the space do? Give the boy time to think, make him lonely. Kakashi has no idea, he just knows that the idea chafes at him. Feels wrong and uncomfortable like a shirt that is on backwards.

Like the empty space where there used to be people.

Where there used to be a connection. So he glares and crosses his arms before jumping down. And he walks with a scowl on his face behind his mask. Walks with light steps in the direction of the Orphanage.

Because if there is one thing that he knows, it is that they are both stubborn. In their own ways. Kakashi knows this, they are all stubborn.

Which is why he stops at the entrance to the Orphanage and just stares.

He just stares, unable to fully commit to going inside. Or just remaining there. He tethers on the edge of going in, or just turning away and never coming back. He wavers before finally turning on his heel and storming away. If the brat wants nothing to do with him, then he wants nothing to do with the brat.

That is fair.

* * *

Kakashi pokes at his dinner that night.

Something feels just slightly wrong. Slightly off and he finds himself unable to meet anyone's eyes. Unable to muster up any sort of appetite and he just pokes at his food. Listless. Uncomfortable.

Which is why as soon as he is given an opening he takes it and leaves. Racing away to eventually stop by the Memorial Stone. Here he stops and just stares at the stone. At the many names, and there is a burn because there is one that is missing. One that he knows, but one that he is divided upon.

Yet it is only right to come here?

After all, Sakumo was a shinobi as well. For all that he went against the rules to save his comrades. And, Kakashi hates so much. Because _Sakumo left him_. And now when he really needs to find someone to ask for advice, find _family_ to ask for advice. Sakumo is so far away, out of reach and Kakashi knows that he has no idea what to do in this situation. He knows that there is nothing that he really can do. He is standing there with his arms hanging, his hands flat by his head and he is stuck shrugging because he does not know how his father managed him.

He does not know.

Because Kama reminds him of himself. Before Sakumo was gone, before that _disaster that stole his Otousan's spirit_. And it hurts.

Because Kakashi knows how much worse he was when he was smaller. The same age that Kama, that Yue and Tobi are.

Five.

He remembers and knows that he was a bossy sassy little brat. It is just, he doesn't know how to deal with being on the other end of that. He does not know what to do, because how does he deal with this stubborn brat who is his family.

Tobi says Kama needs space, Yue agrees…

They are siblings. But… they are not like Kakashi, they are not like Kama. They are not Hatake.

Tobi is an Uchiha, so much like Obito and completely strange. With his heart worn so obviously on his sleeve. And that is just from a small glimpse, also if the boy's talk of the wind is any indication Kakashi highly doubts that he is entirely there.

Yue… Yue is a Nohara, like Rin. From a clan that focuses on the medical side of things. Not quite shinobi, but at the same time there are not many people who would call the Nohara entirely civilian either and Yue… Yue certainly seems to lean closer to the shinobi side of the equation… just something about her, in her eyes maybe…

But Kama…

Kama is a Hatake. Loyal and fierce, with a devotion that nears that of an Uchiha but also rough around the edges and more prone to biting if he feels that something is threatening him… And, Kama has clear wolf traits, that go far beyond that which the clan is gifted with by their summons. Ears and a tail, sharp teeth perfect for ripping and tearing and… Kakashi does not know who to ask for help.

He thinks about the Inuzuka, and their clan head Tsume. And…

He shakes his head. Because that wouldn't be right… Instead his mind flickers to another thought. Another name and he frowns before straightening. And…

Why not.

He thinks that it's time he went to visit Orochimaru for once.

* * *

Kama hates so much about this place.

He wakes up alone in the room. Tobi completely absent, missing from where he is sure that the boy fell asleep against the wall. There is a chill in the air, let in the open window and he shivers. His tail curling around him as he shakes and glares at the empty space where Tobi is supposed to be. It remains stubbornly empty.

Eventually he lowers his head to his knees and sniffs. It feels like everything is being torn away, slipping through his fingers no matter how much he tries to hold on.

First something happened to Shāo…

 _He done something to Shāo…_ A rush of power, the burst of flames and heat and… Nothing.

Then Orochimaru got them, showed them the world above and outside.

Yue left…

 _Tobi is gone._

Kama hates. It burns and shocks and he is barely able to keep his head just about the rushing water that threatens to pull him under and drown him. Fire that blazes at the edge and turns that water to mist. It all threatens to consume him and leave him empty. There is nothing left.

 _Tobi is gone…_

The youngest of their group, the one who is delayed and the one who completely shut down, _is gone_.

Kama raises his eyes just over his knees to glare at the window. He knows that it is not likely that someone took Tobi. After all, they may be special but here nobody would dare. Too many knives, too many sharp edges and so much paranoia. It would not go unnoticed for long… so Tobi had to leave under his own power.

 _He just had to._

 _Kama does not want to believe anything else._

 _But it hurts and burns and he also does not want to believe that._

So he just sits there. Glaring over his knees and trying not to break. Trying and failing because it is all too much and his world has finally come crashing down. Like a wave breaking on the beach in their books, it just washes away everything leaving nothing but scattered remnants of what once was. Which is why he sharpens his grin, narrows his eyes and just pulls on that energy.

If everything is falling apart around him…

Everyone is leaving him.

The he will just have to give them some kind of reason to keep doing so.

He will have to give a reason, just like previous times when it all just became too much.

Laughter, not quite nice and happy echoes from his room.

So he starts with the room. Tearing, ripping and destroying everything that is within reach. Getting himself more and more worked up and just letting the emotions roar in his head, roar in the world, leaving nothing but dust in his wake.


	14. Hatake, Uchiha, Nohara, Family

**Hatake, Uchiha, Nohara, Family**

Tobi smiles up at the moon. Hugging Jackal to his chest and smiling, he is happy. Things are different but… he is happy. And, he looks back into the room, to Shiro happily curled up and asleep. And to Obito, who has just collapsed and is sleeping on his bed.

So Tobi smiles.

* * *

Kama glares. His teeth barred and eyes shining with moonlight reflected in them. He grins vicious and without origin up at the moon before growling. Digging his hands into the wooden frame of the window. He has had it with this place. Had it with the changes.

So he glares, with a vicious grin promising terror.

* * *

Yue looks up at the moon. Blankets pulled up around her and a book open on her lap. The moonlight is nice against her skin and she has the window pushed open just enough. For a small breeze to grace her skin and dance with her fringe. It is just enough. So she does not bother with anything else.

She knows that this is just the first night. The first time that they will truly be making their own lives and… Yue still does not know how to feel. She knows that Tobi followed her, in his own way, it is why he wound up with Obito without anyone seeing him sleep away. Without anyone stopping him, it is why he left so soon. Snapping back and coming back.

So she sits, looking up at the moon and considering things.

Considering the changes and… she hopes that Kama can deal with them. Because he is on his own now. Since he has clearly rejected Kakashi. And that worries her.

Because Kama is the _disturbed_ one of them. According to Shāo anyway. And she does not know what that means. Not really but it does not seem like a good thing.

So she considers things and looks back at her book under the moonlight before gazing back at the moon. She worries. She worries because all of them will change, because this is something new. Also she worries because she saw the glint in the eyes of her new sister. In the eyes of Rin. She saw the glint and she is well aware that the older girl is plotting something. Good or bad it does not really matter.

She just knows that there is a plan in the works.

Eventually she sighs and closes her book. Resting it on the desk beside her new bed and with silent footsteps she wanders over to the window. Yue takes a deep breath, tasting the freshness of the air and sighs. She leans against the sill simply letting the fur on her ears sway in the wind before reaching and pulling the window shut.

She gives one last look to the moon before pulling shut the blinds and wriggles back into her bed and under the covers. Another deep breath and she sighs before closing her eyes and is off to sleep before anything else can register.

* * *

Yue wakes to an explosion. Everyone really wakes to an explosion.

And familiar laughter. That does not sound happy. Yue groans and decides that instead of dealing with it she is just going to shove her head back into the pillow and hope that it goes away. Kama seems to be having an episode again. Again, and she really does not want to deal with it.

Tobi is not likely to deal with it either.

More because he does not understand it rather than the fact that he can not be bothered. Though she is sure that there is some of that as well. But either way she shoves her head back into the pillow and groans. She really does not want to deal with any episode that Kama might be having. They were bad enough just back home underground when he would tear apart anything and everything he could get his hands on, scattering things and making a big pile of destruction.

The only thing he never ripped apart in his episodes was Jackal, because there was no way to get it off Tobi… and honestly she does not think that he ever really wanted to get it off Tobi.

And also she does not think that any of them really wanted to find out how Tobi would have reacted.

So Jackal was always left alone.

Is always left alone.

There is another explosion and some shouting, most of it filled with swearing and she groans again.

This is not their problem.

Not really, eventually she sighs and raises herself from the bed. She rapidly shakes her head before raising her ears and swiveling them around. Poking her head out of the window and looking around she can not see any smoke. So clearly Kama is using paint bombs, or flour bombs. Both of which he knows how to make. They all know how to make them. Though she hopes that it is the paint that he is using. Because flour can be flammable. Still she pulls herself back into the room and sniffs, shaking her head rapidly.

She bounces around the room, easily finding her new clothes and pulling them on. Right sleeve, left, pull up the pants and pop your head through the top. Double checking that her tail has not been squished. She only pauses when it comes to her shoes. Frowns, sniffs them and finally grimaces tossing them away.

No thanks.

She glares at them before hopping out of the window. She will come back later for breakfast. As soon as her feet touch down on the dew wet grass she pauses, takes a deep breath tasting the freshness of the air and, she focuses.

Violet light dances behind her eyes and she reaches out to wrap it around her and… It is a rush, as she is able to feel everything. All the blades of grass beneath her feet light up and glow with life, the trees that surround the village, Rin and Mamoru back inside the house. Moving around, darting to sort things out. And many other lights of people, but Yue shakes it away.

She seeks out only one particular light.

Kama.

 _And there_. The same brilliant blue, flaring brightly and twisting in agitation. Frustration, upset. He is not happy, not in the least. Her eyes snap open and her ears swivel around. Bright orange approaches, Tobi, and another blue, though this one deeper… Obito? Maybe? She does not have the longest to ponder as Tobi lands right in front of her, also missing his shoes. Right behind him, looking rather worried is Obito. As Yue had assumed. She looks at the Uchiha in goggles as he huffs and yet another boom goes off.

"Kama no happy…" Tobi says holding Jackal close to him.

"Yes…" Yue nods her head. "I can hear that…" she frowns and taps one hand on her leg before it clicks in her mind. "We do not have any really fluffy feather pillows do we?"

"Tobi nope…"

"Why do you two need feather pillows?" Obito asks, and Yue blinks at him with wide brown eyes. She is honestly surprised that he is asking.

"Kama like feather!" Tobi chirps with a smile and bright eyes. "Big mess!" he throws one arm up and laughs.

"Also it is not quite as damaging. And he can just sit in his destruction pile pleased with himself afterwards." Yue expands on the explanation that Tobi had just given. "Also it means we do not have to clean up all that much afterwards…" She sighs and Tobi rapidly nods his head from beside her.

"I guess…" Obito says sounding a little bit confused before he looks around rapidly. Tobi hums and smiles up at his brother. Understanding that it might have been a bit harder for the older boy to understand. Not without more context.

Of course neither of them are really interested in giving him that extra context.

It does not really matter to them, so they do not really think that giving it to him will help. So they just leave Obito with what they have already told him. IInstead looking up when more footsteps, another familiar chakra signature.

More worried than Obito, Rin steps out to stare at them. Awkwardly Obito waves to her and Tobi laugh s happily. Now they are only missing the last of the three. Kakashi. And Yue knows where he is, with bright white chakra. Easily locatable. She looks over at the others and smiles.

"Think that we should go help now?" she asks and Tobi laughs.

"Kama, need time. Space" Tobi says before looking down and grinning when he looks back up. "Also need us!"

"Come on, let us go make sure that he has not completely flipped and started biting anyone and everyone again!"

"Yep!" Tobi pauses and looks up at Obito, then over to Rin and he grins. "Obito-nii, Rin-nee, help!" he says even as Yue looks up and smiles, her ears swivel and the wind sings. She smiles and nods back at Tobi before one step, two, three and she is soon running. With a leap she bounces and is moving as fast as a rabbit. Bounding across the village towards Kama. Tobi close alongside her. Rin and Obito as well. They all move quickly. Soon stopping only because they have found Kakashi.

Kakashi who is glaring with brown paint dripping off him, and some glitter. Beside him, looking rather amused is Orochimaru, which causes Tobi to perk up and wave his arms around happily. Tobi also grins at the Hatake boy before reaching out with one hand. Looking up Tobi drops his expression.

"Kama…" he says and she nods her head.

"Yes. It is Kama…" the boy is standing with his back to them. Tail twitching and ears leaning forwards. He is growling, and his clothing is a little bit ripped and torn. He is clearly not happy. He is clearly upset. "Kama…" she says and he snaps his head around to face them. Eyes narrow and teeth bare as he growls.

"Kama no happy!" Tobi huffs at the other. Clutching his Jackal that much closer and allowing his own tail to swish over the grass beneath them. "Kama no happy at all…" Kama growls and stands straighter.

"YOU LEFT!" He shouts, shoulders raising and his ears twitching. "WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE? WE ARE FAMILY! WE DO NOT NEED THEM!" He pants and tears shine at the edges of his eyes. "We only need to go home… back to Shāo… We do not… we…" he takes a deep breath and growls. "WE DO NOT NEED THEM!" Kama is specifically pointing at Kakashi as he speaks, at Rin, at Obito.

"Tobi know…" Tobi says his ears half flattening as he looks back over to where Obito and Rin are standing. The older Uchiha boy looking a lot as though he would like to laugh. "Need change to… Tobi know…" Tobi sighs and Yue feels her tail twitch as the smaller boy smiles up at Kama. "Kama need change! Kama need family…" Tobi looks over at Kakashi, looks at Orochimaru before returning to Kakashi and adds. "Family need Kama to…"

"Well I do not care!" Kama howls, shaking his head rapidly. "BECAUSE I DO NOT NEED THEM! I just… please…"

"Kama…" Yue whispers as Tobi takes a step forwards. Another, and slowly he stretches his hand up. "Oh Kama…"

The silver haired boy growls and turns on his heel. His tail lashes and he snarls. Not looking at them at all. Tobi keeps his hand raised even as the other boy ignores them and Yue holds up one hand. Silencing the older children, before they can even say anything.

"Tobi know…" Tobi says with a smile. "Tobi know… lots change…"

"And it is time for us to change as well…" Yue says finishing for Tobi. She can see the exact moments that it starts to sink in for Kama. His shoulders relax slightly, his tail falls down and his ears flatten. He turns just slightly to look at them. And Yue knows, he is met with Tobi and his smile and outreached hand.

It is exactly what Kama needs.

He turns around and allows himself to accept the hand. And Tobi smiles even brighter, pulling their brother over and wrapping him up into a half cuddle. It is not quite finished and Yue leaps in to finish it. But, it is not quite enough. Yue watches as Tobi reaches out, and pulls on Kakashi, pulls on his sleeve. Obito laughing joins, dragging the older Hatake in as well. Rin smiling walks forwards and also accepts. Tobi hums and closes his eyes, snuggling.

Orochimaru is the only one who does not join them in the cuddle pile. Instead staying back and crossing his arms over, smiling at them. Eyes half closed as he shakes his head. Amused, and Tobi grins at him.

Neither of the Hatake boys look the happiest but Yue has to grin. And she has to laugh because this is perfect.

They are family.

"Tobi knows… Tobi knows family!" Tobi says and she can hear Kama sigh. See him nod and finally the silver head looks up and smiles.

"Yeah… it sure feels good…" and he flicks his ears causing her to laugh.

"Welcome back… Kama" She says before flickering her own ears. Tobi laughs and pulls a face as his tail thumps on the ground. Tickling Obito who jolts startled, before he laughs and pulls more faces that make Tobi laugh. Rin keeps smiling, and Kakashi shakes his head. Forced to smile himself.

This is family.

This is who they are. And Yue is happy. Even if it is not quite perfect, it is nice. After all they have siblings now, joined with blood and not just because they are… but they will always be family.

No matter where they end up.

 _Hatake Kama, Uchiha Tobi, and Nohara Yue._

Bound together always… and of course…

 _Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin._

Family.

Orochimaru as well, and Yue smiles at him, closing her eyes to the backdrop of Tobi and Obito laughing.

This is everything, even if it is missing some things. Yue finds that she can not really mind that. After all, this is everything that matters…


	15. Crash Down

**Crash Down**

Two weeks later and reality once more comes crashing down around Tobi. Just days before he had stood at the front gate with one hand clasped in the grip of Uchiha Mikoto, his new Hakubo. And he had happily waved to Obito, Kakashi and Rin as they headed out for a mission. Beside him had stood Itachi, grinning and waving just as easily.

Yue and Kama had also been there, smiling and waving…

But now…

Now he is staring at Kakashi-nii, at Rin-nee and there is a very clear hole, a very obvious missing person. Tobi wants to scream at them, wants to demand that they tell him where Obito-nii is right now. But the words catch somewhere in his throat and he chokes on tears before they can form. So he just clutches Jackal tighter, and squeezes his eyes shut. It is not real. Obito-nii is just running late. Like always…

Obito-nii will come home…

Tobi wants to scream it, he wants to scream that Obito-nii will come home. That he is just running late. But there is a twist, and ache, and every time he even glimpses the bandages wrapped around Kakashi-nii, around his eye he just knows. He has to know, that Obito-nii is gone. And it hurts so much. Because Obito-nii smiles and makes the bad go away, and Obito-nii kept Shiro safe when Tobi could not and… Tobi hates so much right now.

And Tobi is still not used to hate. Not used to the burn and the ache, the emotion that chokes and stamps on him, the feeling that twists and winds, makes him want to scream and rip and cry. Tobi is not used to it. He does not like it, he wants Obito-nii, because Obito-nii always understands Tobi even when others do not. Even when Yue and Kama can not understand him. But every time he looks up Obito-nii is gone.

So Tobi can not.

"It's okay to cry Tobi…" Rin is soft and kind. Her voice soothing, but Tobi does not want to cry. He wants Obito-nii. He wants his Niisan, his Aniki. The one who the wind led him to. There is a burning at the edges of his eyes and he buries his face into the fluff on top of Jackal. Sniffing with his ears and tail drooping. Sniffing because he hurts and Obito-nii is gone.

"Niisan…" Tobi whispers, finally allowing just a few tears to flow. Feeling the sting in his eyes and the wet on his cheeks. "Niisan…" he sniffs feeling his whole body shake. "Nii… san…" he closes his eyes and breathes. Finally it all becomes too much, and Tobi is gone before anyone can grab him. Before anyone can stop him.

Bare feet against stone, then grass, and he hurtles into what is called the Forest of Death. Not that he really cares. It feels safer than remaining within the village. Besides, even if it is filled with danger. Tobi slows down and takes a deep breath, tasting the nature around him and revealing in the scents. The fresh green forest leaves, the dewy grass, the musk scents of the animals. Giant tigers, giant insects. It is much more comforting and familiar, _safe_ compared to the actual village.

And…

A metallic scent, dripping crimson, the rust of forgotten memories.

And…

Even further, slightly faint. But close. Another familiar scent. Beneath the leaves, and the animals and the metal. Beneath all of that is the scent of a snake. And accompanying it.

"Oro'maru!" Tobi shouts, not even really giving the snake sannin a chance to react as he hurtles forwards. Wrapping himself around and burying his face in the side of the man. "Oro'maru… Obito-nii gone…" he whimpers into the cloth that muffles his voice. Makes it quieter. "Kakashi-nii, Rin-nee home… Obito-nii, gone…" Tobi whimpers pulling himself back just enough to peer up at the man with tears that stain his cheeks.

"Oh…" Orochimaru asks, looking down at him with eyes that clearly say that he does not know what to do, and would someone _please help him_. Tobi thinks that Orochimaru is really not used to upset children. This is the second time Tobi has been upset and used him for comfort after all, although this time he is alone. Tobi thinks that he likes it more when Orochimaru is flailing about it, clearly unsure and just letting Tobi snuggle. Because it means that the man is being completely honest about his feelings. It means that Tobi does not have to worry about wondering why. About wondering and grasping uselessly for some kind of meaning that just is not there.

But he still wonders and questions why Obito-nii did not come back home.

Because it has only been a few days. Just a few short days. And Obito-nii is gone. Is this the next big change? Is this what Tobi had felt coming or is there something even more? He does not know, so he tries not to focus on it. Instead snuggling further into Orochimaru, to very token protests, and trying to stifle his tears. Shiro squeaks up in his hair and Tobi sniffs.

"Tobi no understand…" Tobi wipes a sleeve over his face. "Tobi no understand why Obito-nii gone…"

Orochimaru is silent. Considering. And Tobi remains silent with him. There is something in the silence, Tobi sniffs just a little bit. Finally Orochimaru seems to sigh.

"Honestly… I don't know… Who can know?" Orochimaru states, not looking at him, but rather some point in the distance. "People come and leave all the time… It is just the way that we live as shinobi."

"Tobi no understand…" Tobi whispers his eyes focusing on something moving through the undergrowth. He sniffs again and wipes his eyes. "Tobi just want Obito-nii back…" Tobi whines, not understanding. He just wants Obito to come back home. So that they can both play together and that Obito can tell him stories about their mission, and teach him tricks that Tobi can use with his chakra.

"I know… I never understood it either. My own parents left me alone when I was just a bit younger than you were myself." Tobi looks up with wide eyes. Orochimaru is not really looking at him anymore. Instead the man seems to be just looking up, lost in some sort of memory. "I never could understand why, but… I always had the snakes. The markings of our Clan. Of our family… And, I had my team." he says the wind making his hair flow as he distantly smiles. Tobi thinks that the expression bleeds sadness. "And… I remember, I found a shed snakeskin at their graves one day. And… sensei explained it to me… that one day I would be able to meet them again."

"Obito-nii will come back?" Tobi asks, suddenly sitting straighter with wide hopeful eyes. Unfortunately Orochimaru shakes his head.

"Not exactly… the reincarnation cycle means that he will come back… but he won't be the same…" Orochimaru looks down at Tobi who is frowning, a little bit lost. "He will be someone new… someone different…"

"Oh… but, but Obito-nii still be Obito-nii? Right?" Tobi asks pressing his fingers together and snuggling Jackal closer.

"Maybe…" Orochimaru says and Tobi smiles. "Now come on, I'm sure that your family will be wondering where you've run off to. Best not worry them too much right…"

"Okay… Tobi play with Koutei?"

"Maybe later…" Orochimaru muses with a distant smile as he gets to his feet and gently guides Tobi back out of the forest. "I'll have to ask them if they wish to see you… and you should probably make sure that Shiro is out of their reach!"

"Tobi knows!" he laughs happily grinning up at the man. "Tobi knows!" and up in his hair Shiro squeaks poking their little pink nose out and peering at the snake man with beedy eyes.

* * *

Kama hates so much more now. And he ignores Kakashi because this is not right. Their group is smaller and their family is broken and it is somehow all the fault of Kakashi. The bandages marking him are the biggest tell for that. Also Kama can not stand it, because Tobi is hurt and lost and alone. Tobi is missing his blood brother, and left with just his Shukufu, Hakubo and similarly aged itoko…

Ignoring the fact that Itachi is just barely a year younger than them.

It is just wrong. Because Obito was supposed to come home fine. Kama remembers glaring at Kakashi that morning, remembers trotting off to stay over with Yue. With the Nohara and dealing with Mamoru when the man somehow got his hand stuck in the cooking jar. Kama remembers that. All just a few days ago. And he remembers watching Tobi babble and finally begin to adjust and play again. Finally be Tobi again. Because they had finally stepped forwards and allowed the changes.

Finally…

And the other children also finally seemed to be adjusting, learning not to pull on their tails and ears and… And then they came back and Obito was not there. Kakashi also had bandages like the one who did not let them go with their chosen guardian. Like the man who seemed determined to keep them split. Like Danzo… So Kama hates, and ignores him. Pretends that they are not in the same house.

Pretends that they have nothing to do with each other.

Pretends that they do not matter to one another at all.

Pretends…

Because he does not want to face the empty space. The one who is gone, who is missing, torn away by something beyond his control. And he knows, deep down that Obito is not coming back home. There is just something final in the way that the older boy is gone. That they left to come back one short. So Kama pretends because he does not want to face that empty space.

Which means that he does not go outside.

Not until the Academy finally starts. It is September, it is September and although they are late entries. The fact that they have their chakra unlocked, that they already have some skills. They are starting a week late. But it as if they are not late at all walking into the room. Tobi stands beside him with Shiro perching in his hair and arms wrapped around Jackal. Yue is on the other side with a frown, brown eyes scanning the room. All three are introduced by the Sensei to the rest of the class and soon select their places. Middle row, middle seats. Not right up the back, but in a place where they are still aware of everything.

It is just another test.

Just another scenario for them to play out. Just one that other people have gone through before. And that many other children are going through with them. And Kama glares at the desk, while Tobi fiddles beside him and Yue swivels her ears around and sniffs the air. It is not the most comfortable situation. And the sensei just drones on and on at the front of the class. Meaningless words that Kama is sure not even Tobi or Yue are really catching.

The fact that they are all still missing someone is painfully clear.

When they are let out for the break Tobi quickly disappears. They are left there alone, with the final member of their _animal trio_ missing. And that name sticks. The other children poking fun at their ears and tails. Pointing out how weird it is, how strange. How different they are. And Kama slowly starts to think that maybe they are not special at all.

Maybe they are wrong…

Broken somehow…

Beyond the small things that Shāo would sometimes call them.

 _Delayed. Disturbed… Silly._

Because none of the other children have the same features as them. Returning to the classroom, Kama pays attention with only half an ear. Unable to focus on the words of the man at the front. It is all just a buzz in the background. Information that they already know from their books. From the books that Shāo gave them. And from the tricks that they have learnt from Kakashi, from Rin and…

Kama looks down at his lap.

When they leave for the day he watches as Tobi races off, happily greeting Itachi at the gate and smiling up at Mikoto. But not looking over to them, not waving or saying that he would see them the next day.

Somehow this has started to truly split them…

And Kama does not know how to feel about that.

* * *

 _It is dark._

 _It is cold._

Tobi feels like the house is wrong. Empty and alone without Obito-nii. Even the smell is wrong. Tobi no longer likes it. It is not safe.

 _It is dark._

 _It is cold._

Something heavy is pushing him down.

He can not breathe…

Tobi dreams of rocks that fall and cut him away from everyone else. He dreams of pain and shadows that flicker and dance. Of a man with white hair, of golden eyes that glitter and white paste that fills his mouth and chokes him. Tobi dreams of things that are just wrong and off and he wakes gasping and choking, screaming for someone who can no longer help him.

Screaming for his niisan.

Screaming because the wind is telling things that he does not want to hear.

And Tobi curls up in the dark. Wrapping his tail around himself and holding Jackal so close. Basking in the familiar musky scent of the plush that has been with him for as long as his memory lasts. Tobi knows that he does not always understand things. Tobi knows that he is different, he is special, he is delayed.

But Tobi also knows what call nature has.

Tobi knows secrets that the trees whisper and the tales that the wind tells.

Tobi knows that Obito-nii is alive. Just away. So Tobi breathes and closes his eyes. Flickering his ears to hear what the wind has to say. To bask in the tales about his niisan. To know. That one day he will come home. And not as someone different like the tale that Orochimaru told him. It is not time. Not yet. The wind whispers things, the trees murmur their secrets and Tobi listens. He trusts them.

So he sits up, slowly uncurling and opening the window. He looks up at the moon, the light from the crescent in the sky shining in his eyes and he opens his mouth to laugh.

"Tobi knows…" he whispers, after the laughter stops. "Obito-nii come home…"


	16. Shadows Creeping Up

**Shadows Creeping Up**

It is dark…

It is cold.

Yue wakes screaming. With images of blood and destruction. Doom and despair echoing behind her eyes. Strangers and chains, a giant beast with three tails howling. Screaming, and she clings to Rin when the older girl comes in. Because that image is the sharpest. There is copper on her tongue and she can remember the chirping birds. The ones that signified disaster, the end.

A hole and an apology unsaid.

Screaming, trees broken and bent, twisted and wrong.

She trembles and breathes in Rin. Breathes in her scent, trying to banish the last of the images.

It is pain.

Aching and wrong and Yue feels it as she moves her hand up to feel for a hole. Nothing. Rin is intact and Yue whimpers.

"Please… Please…" she whispers.

"Yue! Yue… What's wrong?" Rin asks trying to find if she is hurt at all. Yue shakes her head and looks up. "Yue?"

"Just…" Yue remembers the images and she tightly closes her eyes, shaking her head. She does not want to explain, does not know how to explain. "It was just a nightmare…" it was nothing. Is nothing. Just something that she saw, and can not explain, just like many other things in the world. Just like many other things so Yue just shakes her head and refuses to explain. "Do not worry Rin-nee… It was nothing…"

"But why did you scream?" Rin asks lost and Yue just shakes her head. Remembering the resolve and determination, the resignation in a way. Yue buries her head into Rin and breathes deeply. She does not want to talk about the flicking images, the ones that are now burned into her psyche.

She does not want to say that she saw Rin jump into a death jutsu.

She does not want to explain what she saw in a nightmare. In a dream, just a dream. Just a dream, although Yue does not want to wonder where it came from, it is not worth it. But she can feel her chakra, unsettled within her. The buzz and jolt and she wonders. Because she can feel it around them to, and her eyes are drawn to Rin. Or rather to her blessing mark.

"You bring aloe… as in the Aloe-Vera plant." Yue says eyes distant focusing on the character that marks Rin. Marks her arm "The balm to heal the jagged edges… soothe the burn"

"Yue?" Rin sounds worried, looking down at her and Yue finally blinks. Looking up at her oneechan. Before she shakes her head and buries it again. "Yue… please, are you alright?" Rin pleads and Yue hums curling into Rin. Breathing deeply before nodding her head. Nodding her head because she does not wish to worry her oneechan any more. Does not want to cause pain, or trouble or anything.

"I am fine…" Yue says. "It was just a nightmare…" she says, before pulling her blankets up and peering at Rin with big wide eyes.

"Okay… Okay…" Rin says amused crawling in with her. "But only for tonight." she admonishes and Yue simply smiles and snuggles with her sister. As soon as she is sure that Rin is asleep Yue looks up at the crescent moon in the sky. Looking at Rin she narrows her eyes and fists her hands.

"That will not happen…" she promises solemnly. "That will not happen! We will not let it…" she shakes her head and snuggles down with her sister. Closes her eyes and breathes, allowing herself to drift back to sleep.

* * *

Kakashi wakes up feeling sick. Hot and achy all over he groans and decides that maybe he should just stay in bed for the rest of the day. He does not want to deal. Especially because he knows. Kama is already gone, at the Academy, and technically he does not have to train today, they do not have a team meeting. So he simply rolls over and buries his face in the pillow.

For some reason the worst of the heat seems to be focused in his blessing mark. The word on his arm. Lightning. Not that it has ever meant anything good for him. It just seems to have wrought trouble.

After all lightning burns, it shines brightly but brings so much harm to all who are around it. So he groans and grumbles into his pillow. He just can not deal with it today.

Everything hurts. And yet he can not get back to sleep. Not with the pain in his arm. Not with the pounding in his head. Something is wrong. Something is coming and Kakashi forces himself to stand up, swaying on his feet as he searches through the house for anything that might dull the pain even a little bit. He is back mostly on his own after all… Since he was ten, since he insisted so much.

And there, he finds some painkillers, and grabs them. Carefully reading the instructions he takes two and then flops back onto his bed soon drifting off into the Morpheus grasp.

Or that is the plan anyway.

 _Instead he found himself in some kind of surreal zone, somewhere between being awake, and being asleep. There was red thread all around, looping over objects and through portals, tying everything together and just generally being there. Notably it was also tangled over him, wrapped around his wrists and ankles. It kept him in place, until he noticed something that made him completely forget about the string._

 _Made him lose his breath and feel as though he were falling all over again._

 _In front of him, curled up was Obito. Red thread kept the other boy just out of reach, and there were tendrils of black that crept over the other boy. Tendrils that pulsed, and beat, grew. And red that leaked down from Obito's right side. The side that had been crushed. But beyond that Kakashi was also able to see beyond him, figures that shifted and moved. Shifted and whispered and plotted. But Kakakshi wasn't able to hear what the figures was whispering. What they were saying, or even any details about them. Only that with each whisper more tendrils of darkness crept over Obito and-_

 _It felt dangerous and Kakashi shivered. Looked around nervously, acutely aware that this was wrong, wrong, wrong. Obito did not even move, didn't react at all. Obito only breathed shallowly where he slept. Wrapped in the threads and tendrils, with bandaged that slowly faded in. Covering up the dripping red. He looked for all the world completely exhausted and Kakashi wanted to reach out. To touch his former team mate._

 _But the threads kept him in place._

 _Kakashi was not sure how he felt about that. Partially relieved and partially terrified… and those things in the shadows._

 _And bells rang. Alarms that blared and screamed and he raised his hackles. Barring his teeth even though he knew. Those people,_ those things _, could not possibly see him. They could not. But they still terrified him and he just knew. Whatever they were, Obito should not have been anywher near them._

 _But he could not wake Obito. He could not do anything more than watch as the creatures converse in the shadows, considering the sleeping Uchiha. As they came to some sort of decision about what to do with him. Kakashi felt worse, the heat and the pounding in his head was growing. And he was dizzy, dizzy with the realization. As some of the red threads that held Obito snapped._

As Kakashi is yanked back. Crashing into his own body and snapping his eyes open. Unable to keep sleeping and forced back into the waking world. Because that's something, he can't even explain. But it echoes in his head and he just knows…

He just knows.

Obito… Obito is… He sucks in a breath and hugs himself. Before shaking his head. No… That is just a nightmare. A fever dream. He pants and glares at the meds that he had taken. Glares at the painkillers before rolling back over. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, shaking his head.

He will just try to get back to sleep…

After all, it is just a dream.

And Obito is still dead.

* * *

 _Monster, monster crawling in the dark. Monster, monster that nobody sees. Monster, monster creeping through shadows. Monster, monster with razor sharp teeth._

 _Glinting knives with a shine of moonlight, glinting fangs that are stained with your blood._

 _There is nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. You can only curl up, pray and attempt to survive…_

* * *

It is dark.

It is cold.

Kama shivers in his seat at the Academy. Aware that there is something distinctly wrong. Though he is unable to quite say what it is. When he looks out the window at the ground the shadows seem longer, seem darker, more dangerous. Looking around the room Tobi is the only one who seems unaffected by the atmosphere. All the other children are shifting, as if they are all aware that there is just something subtly off.

Yue has dark circles around her eyes.

She looks like she has not slept. And all the other children look as though nightmares haunt their steps as well. Something rotten is lurking. And Kama has no idea what it is. He has no idea what might be lurking.

He just knows that something is wrong. Something is rotten and it hurts.

Because it is there, just out of sight. Of course someone notices that he is unsettled. The boy, just barely older than them by a single year plops down, with a huge grin, curly hair framing his face. Unimpressed Kama gives him a flat look while Tobi laughs and Yue shakes her head. Uchiha Shisui, the boy who has been taking away Tobi. Since Obito disappeared the rest of the Clan had tightened ranks.

Which is likely why this boy has come over. To make sure that they are not bothering Tobi. To make sure that they are not… Harming him. Which is something that they would never do. But now Tobi does not really talk to them, he does not really see them and while he is here with them, at the same time Tobi is not with them. He is focusing more on Shisui and, Kama can see the way that he has his head just slightly tilted.

Listening to the wind.

"What do you want?" Kama grounds out through grit teeth, glaring at the smiling boy who dares to take Tobi even further away from them.

"Aww. Can't I just come and see one of my favourite juutei?"

"No…" Kama grumbles, crossing his arm. _Tobi is supposed to be their family, not this clans._ Tobi is supposed to be theirs. "Ever since we came here, you people… Everyone, You have all…" he growls, lowering his ears and ignoring the way that Tobi shakes his head, trying to pull on his arm. "We do not need or want you… We do not…" he turns his head. "And besides, the only one of you who really mattered was Obito… Not anyone else…"

"Kama…" There is a warning in Yue's voice. A warning that Kama tramples right over, growling with his chakra sparking at his hands in response.

"Not anyone else… And I have nearly had it! I just want to go home… Everything to go back to normal!"

"Kama?" Tobi tilts his head and Kama takes a deep breath.

"We did not ask, or need to be rescued… Not by anyone… Shāo was already our guardian…" Frustrated Kama wipes at his eyes. "And… And I do not understand why it all had to change… it did not have to… but it did… and now…"

"Calm down… Calm down…" Shisui raises his arms up. Placating, it might have been more effective if he was not beaming at them. If he were someone else, someone older. Instead all it results in, is Kama snapping and hurtling himself at the slightly older boy. Screaming his rage in a howl.

There is no fineness to his movements. No skill or tactics or anything, just rage, anger, hurt and frustration. To the side Yue and Tobi just watch, they just stare. Tobi shakes his head and looks up to the sky, tilting his head before Tobi distantly smiles and grabs Kama by the arm. Yue sighs as Kama whips around to give Tobi something of a betrayed look. Shaking his head Tobi smiles, sad and distant.

But there is hope shining in his eyes.

"Tobi hear wind. Wind say Obito-nii is not ready to come home yet…" Tobi explains and Shisui laughs where he is lying on the ground before yelping when Kama accidentally whacks him with his tail.

Instead he focuses on Tobi, with wide eyes. Because what? What did the boy just say? What did Tobi just say about the Wind? About Obito? Kama can not understand it even as Tobi raises his head and frowns. Before standing up and looking around. Confused Tobi walks off, Shisui frowns, wipes his face with a sleeve and follows after the smaller boy.

Kama gives Yue a glance, and she is not looking at him. Instead she is focusing on the clouds in the sky. Her hand moving to follow their movements before she looks at him and shakes her head.

"Something is wrong…" she says, looking in the direction that the two Uchiha boys went before glancing back to the Academy. "There is something else here…" Kama frowns and crosses his arms over his chest looking away. Yue mumbles "Shadow… Tobi said something about… a shadow" and he turns to glare at her, to demand that she explain what she is mumbling about except.

She is already gone.

Abruptly, he feels cold, there is something wrong. Something else there, and he finds himself glancing back to the Academy. They have not been called in yet and… there is a shift, something at the edge of his vision. As if he does not have control over himself and his limbs he finds himself walking forwards, almost in a trance.

And he is soon in the wooded area close to the Academy.

 _It is dark…_

 _It is cold…_

There is no one else around.

The shadows shift, dance and change and before Kama can even open his mouth to scream they crash down over him.

Before he knows it, sharp pain in the back of his head plunges him into darkness.


	17. Secrets in the Wind

**Secrets in the Wind**

Tobi dreams.

Of glimmering gates, and of blue skinned sharks. Of blades that slash and rain that falls. Of shadows that talk and eyes that glitter.

Tobi dreams of hands, of voices and pain. Tobi dreams. In his dreams the wind sings, whispers tales right in his ears, cradles him, sends him to new places. Showing him the world, and it whispers of that which lurks in the dark. The wind reaches everywhere, and Tobi is the kite caught in the wind. Carried around to see everything, the world from the sky.

It is amazing.

Tobi dreams.

Of course, just because they are amazing does not mean that it is safe. Because Tobi knows. Tobi knows more than he should, because the wind and the trees keep no secrets. So Tobi knows things that he can not escape, and things that he should not know. He hears and listens to the tales that the wind tells about the magnificent things in the world, the wonders and things that most people never see. Never hear. Never should hear, tales from the darkness and the light and in places that most people can not possibly reach. Even deep below the sea and out beyond the reaches of the world.

The wind is not cautious with the information that it has at all.

So Tobi knows.

He knows, and he welcomes the knowledge. Even if it tells him things that he does not understand, a string tying people together? Shared vision, Kakashi and Obito-nii tied… he does not understand. But the wind whispers that it is important, the trees laugh about it. So he keeps the information close.

Because he also knows other things.

Seals on tongues, the betrayal of a country, the fall of an empire. Hope and fear all mixed in one. But he does not know what he should keep and what he should tell.

Obito only taught him so much about shinobi and secrets.

Only taught him so much when it comes to what he should and should not share. And most importantly, he remembers Obito-nii teaching him about misdirection. Acting. Making people see only what Tobi wants them to see. Obito-nii never cared that Tobi was delayed. Said that it just meant that Tobi had certain advantages that others did not. Advantages, and that Tobi could use that as a mask.

So Tobi works to use that as a mask, to understand how that works.

But Tobi still does not know. He does not know how much of the information is stuff that he can share. Should he tell others? Should he hold it close? Should he share or just hold it and wrap it up as something that he keeps to his chest.

Tobi trusts.

Tobi trusts, but Tobi still understands. Shinobi deal in secrets. So not everything is stuff that he can share. Not everything is something that he should share. So for the most part he just remains silent about what the wind tells him. Calmly following it where it tells him to go. And listening to the stories that it tells him to reassure him. Listening to the stories of the wonders, and the dangers and many of them… they make him burn with even more hate.

The bandage man has crossed lines that never should have been crossed.

And he confers with the shadow… the shadow that Tobi remembers. Dangerous glints of gold and some sort of plan. Tobi is an obstacle. Something not supposed to be here. And the wind keeps whispering warnings. About the will of the moon, of the princess trapped by her princes. And so much more. So Tobi listens.

And he walks on the clouds in his dreams.

The wind in his hair. A shadow stalking him in his sleep the beast at his back ready to pounce and consume him. To devour him and leave him empty and broken. The shadow that looms over his brother and Tobi worries. Because the red thread is stretched thin, the ties that bind the team, a family together nearing the snapping point. And Tobi glows in the dark, in his dreams able to see the thread and to heal it. Humming and singing the way that the wind guides him to.

Warding away the golden shadow.

Protecting him, and more importantly helping him to protect his brother. Helping him to protect his niisan.

But Tobi also dreams.

Dreams of the shadow right there. Standing over them. Of Shisui-juukei in the river and of Itachi staining his own hands with blood. Of the Uchiha compound going empty. The shadow whispers these things, sending them through the wind, to taunt and terrify. To try and get Tobi to let go of the threads. To get Tobi to slip and fall.

Tobi has nightmares.

Faces spattered with blood, teeth shining with the edges of knives and he can see Obito-nii in a cage of thorns. See Kakashi-san with chains holding him to a dream of a dead boy. See Rin-chan with a hole in her heart.

Their marks bleeding.

Fading.

 _Disappearing…_

Tobi dreams and he sees. Because the wind tells the good and the bad, the broken and repaired, and he knows. The shadow is there, waiting for them to fall. And Tobi holds on. The strings keeping him there, keeping him from flying away. Keeping him from losing and he holds. He can see them. Yue and Kama, sleeping. Drifting. Their threads close to snapping. Shisui, struggling to remain above water, drowning.

Tobi sees.

Tobi sees and he does not want to.

Tobi knows.

He can not let go.

Tobi refuses to let go.

Tobi refuses to lose those who he holds close, and he listens to the wind. The wind that sings and welcomes and cheers him on. That guides him to fix and repair. He does not listen to the gale, the one demanding that he break. Because he knows, he knows what Obito-nii has told him. What Rin-chan has taught them. So he holds onto the threads and keeps dreaming. Keeps holding them all there. Keeps them stable. And he sings. Tobi sings in the darkness to ward away the shadow. To ward away the monsters lurking just out of reach.

Tobi will not believe that it is too late. He refuses to.

* * *

Obito dreams.

He does not know where he is. He does not know why he is dreaming. He just knows that red holds him safe. Red threads with so many attachments, and broken ends. He wonders what used to be at the other ends. He wonders what used to be there and it scares him. Loose broken threads. Dead ends.

And…

Obito can see Kakashi. Obito can see Rin. He can see Minato-sensei and Kushina-nee. Mikoto-Hakubo and Fugaku-Shukufu… Itachi, Shisui and-

He can see Tobi clinging so hard to the thread, trying to hold it together. Obito hurts, and something burns. Clogging up his throat and plugging up his nose. Constricting around his arms and legs and rubbing against him in places that he does not want to think about. This is not a dream, it is a nightmare. And Obito feels these tendrils as they slide up his body, curling over his skin and trying to cut the threads that hold him up. Trying to remove the bandages to take their place.

Trying to get inside him.

And that is when he hears it.

Tobi, singing. A rhyme, a hum, a tune without name.

And the tendrils crawling over his body shudder, pulling back into the darkness leaving him shivering, feeling sick. With bile rising in his throat and a sense of violation. He feels stripped bare, with all his secrets on display. And he can hear voices, people calling his name, hissing it. Playing with it and… He does not like the way that the voices say his name, the way that they consider it and discard…

He wants to wake up.

But he is not sleeping.

He is not sleeping and he is not awake.

So Obito is stuck dreaming. Clinging to Tobi's voice as it echoes from somewhere overhead in the light. While Obito is suspended half in and half out of the darkness. With nothing holding him safe aside the red threads. Nothing more than the string that attaches him to his precious people.

So he clings to that, and focuses on that and…

He can hear the wind.

Whispering and calling, and he understands.

He understands what Tobi always says. What Tobi means and… it is refreshing. Because it tingles and comforts and he just breaths. Listening and understanding and relishing in this new voice. But it is not just the wind, it is… everything, the entire world. Life itself, as something in him is fundamentally changed. And he feels it as the bandages slip away, falling into the darkness, and he can feel his right side. Different, but there, and new.

And it feels like the warmth of the sun, and the growth of new trees. Fresh, breathing, alive.

So much more. And he breaths. He breaths and closes his eyes. Listening to the wind, and the rumble of nature itself. Because that is what this is. What is changing and he can feel his own heart.

In, out.

Breathe in, and breathe out…

He is one with the planet itself. He is able to feel everything and he knows. Obito knows, Tobi is waiting. Yue is waiting. Kama is waiting.

And he will not keep them waiting forever.

He can not. He will not. And the threads tighten, strengthen and he steps onto solid ground, the dream slipping away. Leaving him in a room. A dirt room underground and he knows. He can hear it in the earth around him. This is their home, this is where they lived with Shāo, once upon a time…

And…

He is far from alone here.

He takes a deep breath… It is time to go home.

* * *

Tobi wakes up to white walls, beeping and a mask of some sort over his face. He can not turn his head. He can not look around, but he knows in the way that the wind sings that they won. That they beat the shadow…

For the moment.

So he smiles and closes his eyes. Just breathing and listening to the heartbeats of those in the room with him. Shisui, Kama and Yue. His family, his friend. His…

And Tobi breathes. Because this is life. This is what he wants, this is what he is. Free, and safe and Obito-nii will be coming home soon. Able to pull himself from the darkness now, without anyone to hold him down and break his threads connecting him to everyone else. Connecting him to life, and…

Obito is marked with heart… he is the heart of his team, and Tobi thinks that it also covers his family. And… Possibly even more.

The world has a heart as well after all… and Tobi can hear that the wind is more at ease, happier. Obito is important to the world as well…

They all are.

And Tobi moves his hand. Moves it over to his mark before opening his eyes again and staring up at the roof. They all are. They are important to the world and as a result they all have words, they all have blessings however meaningless those blessings may seem at the offset they mean something, to someone, somewhere.

And Tobi thinks.

Maybe Shāo missed the point. Searching too much for the origin, the how without considering the why, the reason.

And Tobi smiles, because he knows the reason.

After all… the wind has many secrets and tales to tell… many of them straight from the heart of the planet itself.


	18. Against All Odds

**Against All Odds**

Tobi feels shaky on his legs. They tremble beneath him and he finds that he is leaning a lot more on the leg of Fugaku. Leaning against his Shukufu. He breathes rather heavily, as his head pounds and his legs shake. He does not feel well at all. To be fair, none of the others are that much better. Even Shisui, normally zipping around with a huge grin, is struggling to keep his feet firmly beneath him and on the ground.

It is horrible.

Because Tobi also feels his chakra, weakly pulsing through his body. Weakly flowing, as if it has been drained to almost empty. He is running on fumes and smoke. And he knows, he knows. Something is still wrong, the wind is silent.

Keeping secrets for the first time that he is aware of. For the first time the wind is cautious… Except for small warnings, whispers about the white people in the trees and the shadow sneaking around.

It is horrible.

Because Tobi does not want to hear it anymore.

Tobi just wants the pounding in his head to stop. Tobi wants his legs to feel solid, to feel like he can walk.

So Tobi just leans on Fugaku, and he breathes feeling for all the world like he is going to vomit. He feels like he is going to be sick and his stomach lurches. So eventually he just reaches his arms up and lets the man lift him off the ground. Burying his head into the man's neck he breaths. Trying to stabilize himself. It is just in time to hear a thud, and feel Fugaku's groan.

Tobi mumbles something before lifting his head. To see Shisui lying on the ground. The five(almost six) year old seeming rather resigned to just staying there. Tobi simply reburies his head as Fugaku looks over at Mikoto for help. She has her arms full of Itachi though, the other boy poking at Kama who has also flopped down, seating himself stubbornly on the ground. Refusing to move. Refusing to budge, likely until the world stops spinning. Yue is leaning against Rin, shaking her head.

They are a mess.

All of them are a mess.

And Tobi does not know why.

His head hurts, his throat is dry, his legs feel like liquid, and he remembers red threads snapping into place, repairing in his hands. But he does not know what it means anymore, because he also remembers the pain, the fire and everything falling. Darkness that rushed up to catch them as they fell. As they fell to wake up to the white world of the hospital. And Tobi feels… He feels that it means something.

The rushing darkness.

The odds are stacked against them.

They are all too tired, too small, too weak. In this world the odds are just against them. From the very start Tobi realizes. Because now, with the whispers of the wind in his ears, and the understanding of what family is… Shāo never really thought of them beyond being his little experiments. Special in the fact that they had survived and proved one of his theories in that way. Special because of the gaps in their DNA that is filled in and altered, making them markedly different. Shāo still holds a huge part of their lives though, but Tobi finds that now with the winds whispers he does not hold the man up high on a pedestal. He does not want to go back home, not to the place where secrets lie buried.

But he does want to go back home, to the place where he was born and began to grow. He wants to go home to a dream.

But, Tobi is learning. Tobi is understanding.

Tobi knows.

Tobi knows that Yue and Kama are learning as well. And the world is changing. So they have to change with it. To adjust so that they can run against the odds. And Tobi knows, and he listens and he hopes. Because if they are to beat it, then they will need to change. Need to change, because if they can do that then the odds will change.

Tobi remembers red threads. Wrapping around his arms and legs, falling over his hair, and he remembers Obito-nii.

Tobi knows.

So he breathes, and rests. Feeling the wind wrapping around him, hearing it laugh and whisper its tales. Tales forgotten by time, and Tobi sleeps.

* * *

Tobi wakes up with Shiro sleeping on his head. The small mouse a familiar, comforting presence.

Tobi wakes with Shiro right there, and a face flushed with the heat of a fever. He feels absolutely horrible. Hot and with a scratchy feeling at the back of his throat. His hair is sticking to his head with sweat and he just feels horrible.

The mouse is comforting, but with his chakra so low he has gotten sick. It is the first time that Tobi has ever been sick and he already does not like it. Too hot, and cold at the same time, and he just wants to roll over and throw up. Or really he does not want to do anything at all because there is nothing in his tummy and his whole body feels weighed down with rocks. His head pounds and his throat hurts and…

"Tobi!" He painstakingly manages to turn his head to stare at Itachi, the straight haired child smiling at him with closed eyes. "You are awake! Otousan says you got sick real bad, along with Shisui-nii, Kama-san and Yue-chan!" Itachi opens his eyes and grins at him and Tobi wants to shove his head under the pillow. Itachi's voice echoes and scratches within his head, and seems to just smack into him. "Tobi?"

"G' way…" Tobi groans out, and Shiro squeaks, darting down from his hair and across the floor, up the wall and into their terrarium. "'m, not well…" Tobi grumbles before snuggling himself further under the blankets. "'m tired… want drink, 'n sleep…" He murmurs. The bed is comfy and he snuggles further in. Further into the blankets and into the bed, because it helps him just a little bit.

Not enough.

But it still helps.

"Otousan! Tobi is awake!" Tobi really wants Itachi to just be quiet, his voice is too much. Too much and Tobi just really wants quiet. Footsteps echo and weakly Tobi lifts his head. Able to just barely see the blurry image of Fugaku in the doorway. Tobi hums and snuggles himself down, he will deal with it later.

"Tobi…" Mikoto's voice calls, soothing, and Tobi mumbles something incomprehensible into the blankets before lifting his head. Gently Mikoto helps him to sit up, and although he grumbles, he accepts the water that she carefully offers him. Almost greedily sucking it down really. It does not soothe his throat, in fact it just makes the scratchy feeling worse. He chokes and coughs out some of the water before leaning into her. "Shh… Shh Tobi, it's okay…" she soothes and he breathes deeply.

"Tobi no feel good…" Tobi mumbles, as his stomach roils and his head pounds.

"We know…" Mikoto says, and Fugaku frowns. "We know… but it'll be okay. Tobi, it's just a small fever right now, everyone gets sick sometimes, you'll be fine." Fugaku walks over and holds out a small spoon of something that makes Tobi scrunch up his nose. The man frowns and Mikoto shakes her head, silently pleading with him. Though grudgingly, Tobi opens his mouth and accepts the spoonful.

Bitter.

He pulls a face, before the glass of water is placed to his mouth again. Once more he greedily drinks before it is removed. He is tucked in, and Mikoto gently brushes his hair from his face. She leads Itachi out of the room, and Fugaku shakes his head. Turning off the light as he exits closing the door. Tobi hums, snuggling down into the blankets and…

He is out before anything more can happen.

* * *

Rin sits by Yue's bed with a worried expression. The small child, has a bright red flush right across her face, her rabbit ears are loose and dangling, and her hair is soaked and stuck to her forehead with sweat. She has not awoken since coming home, and Rin is worried. She has used a little bit of the iryo-jutsu that she knows to bolster Yue's immune system but it does not seem to have affected the child yet.

Or if it has not by much.

So Rin is worried. But Yue is still young, only five. So she will likely recover rather quickly. Well, but it is still worrying. Because clearly this is the first time that any of them have ever gotten sick. Which makes Rin want to check and see if anyone has bothered to immunize them yet. She knows that such things are important. In case they got really sick.

And with their systems so low on chakra…

Well Rin has a right to be worried.

And to really want to know who she has to kill for draining their chakra like this.

After all, five year olds may play around with it, they may be more careless about using it. But even the most careless five year old would never drain themselves this much. Instinct would stop them. Self-preservation and instinct, holding them back. Sue their chakra would have been depleted, but still well above near lethal levels.

So Rin really, _really_ wants to know who she is going to track down and kill.

Who she will erase from memory. Because even though she is sweet, and harmless in the eyes of many Rin _is still a shinobi_. And, she has very clearly drawn lines in the sand. A clearly defined line, and point where she refuses to let people just get away with things. When it comes to family, especially the family she has created there is no question of what she will do when they are messed with.

Her team is her family.

By extension, she considers those closest to them family as well… Tobi and Kama fall in that category. Along with Shisui…

Yue… Yue is her biological sister.

Cloned, artificially made, but still her sister.

All four of them have been hurt. And Rin is plotting murder already. Because no one harms her _family!_ It's bad enough that she has already lost one member of it.

But first, Rin remains by Yue's bedside, she will not leave until she knows that her little imoto will be okay. She will not leave until Yue is back on her feet and then… Rin narrows her eyes and glares out the window. Then she will hunt down the person who _dared_ to harm her family. And she will make sure that they can never do so again.

* * *

Orochimaru is not generally a very emotionally driven person. Not really used to dealing with his emotions and normally he thinks more with his mind. Acts based on logic and solid reasoning but… Children are a small bit of a sticking point.

Especially children who have managed to squirm their way in. Who he has found are always just there.

Even when he retreats into the Forest of Death, where no one else would follow. Because the animals in there are the most dangerous, and yet those three. At different times would wander in, specifically after him. And he could not forget the way that they all united.

United to declare that he was the one who they chose. The one who they specifically wanted to be their guardian. Orochimaru would be lying if he said that it wasn't flattering. And now.

Orochimaru can't understand them.

He can't but… and maybe it is a result of spending many of his formative years on the team that he did. With Jiraiya, with Tsunade, even Sarutobi. So children are a sticking point, and when he hears that they have been harmed.

Especially those children…

He does not quite take it well. He does not lash out at the poor messenger, but he does not quite keep his tongue in check well enough. The poor chunin leaves rather more shaken than when he had found Orochimaru and…

He stops.

Considers.

Sentimentality. And, Orochimaru feels his hands curl, and his mouth tug downwards because. Despite everything he does understand those three. And they are _his_. Or it might be that he is _theirs_ because the three rescued children all declared him as their guardian. The one who they wanted to take them home. Keep them safe. And for all that he is, Orochimaru will respect that. Still, because of that he feels quite strongly about this.

Because it's clear that the children were targeted specifically.

Targeted, and that makes him coil.

Because they are _his_ and Orochimaru is nothing if not possessive about what he believes is his.

So he narrows his eyes, and glares at the various items and equipment spread around his personal lab and he just, he takes a deep breath. Uncurling himself and narrowing his eyes. There is an easier way for him to deal with it. And snakes are nothing if not effective at waiting, at striking right where it hurts. And, the snakes.

Ishi, Koutei, and the others, his summons. They also like the children. They would not be opposed to helping him, to removing the one who dares to threaten the children who accepted them. Who did not consider them odd, or different. Who did not consider them wrong, or eerie, who accepted them.

So he summons the snakes, and plots.

Because Orochimaru is nothing if he is not a ruthless bastard who protects what is his own.

And those children, they are his.


	19. Glinting Golden Shadows

**Glinting Golden Shadows**

Kama is the first of them to recover. His head clear, and his chakra humming under his skin. And, he appreciates Kakashi a lot more afterwards, because he knows that the older boy never left his side, not for the entire five or six days that Kama spent sick. So Kama appreciates him. That does not mean that he instantly accepts the older boy though. Because Kakashi is still one of the ones who split them.

And Kakashi is the reason that Obito is missing. Or, at least the older boy thinks that he is the reason. And that is enough for Kama to believe that he is. It is enough of an excuse for Kama… or it was.

Before Tobi said that statement…

"Wind say Obito-nii is not ready to come home yet"

And it was before the darkness.

Because Kama knows what he saw in there. Red threads, looping and hanging. Keeping them stable. Red threads that tied them all together. To one another and to the world. And, in the center. Obito, with Tobi hanging onto the threads so tightly to keep them from snapping. But Kama remembers even more, eyes in the darkness that was spreading. Eyes that glinted like gold. The tendrils that crept and it snaps Kama away from the hate.

Because it points to something completely different.

He still does not accept Kakashi. But, he eases up on the older boy, because he is trying. He is trying so hard it is almost painful.

He can not fault the boy for that. So he raises his appreciation of his own blood Oniisan. Not by all that much, but it is just enough for others to notice, and to put the older boy somewhere over the moon. Which is entertaining to both Kama and the Ninken who live in the apartment with them. Kama is not oblivious to their presence. He is also not oblivious to the lack of presence of his own pet.

Zen, the white mouse has been conspicuously absent. Yue has also lost Bilby, the only one who still has their pet… Tobi.

Kama has to hand it to the Uchiha for that. They at least understood the significance of the pets. The importance, kept the small mouse. Even if neither Kama or Yue got their pets back. Tobi still is able to show up with Shiro perching in his hair. Tobi is still able to come with a smile, and with his companion.

So Kama has to give the Uchiha a clap for that. Because no one else really seemed to care about their pets. Only the Uchiha Clan considered that mice as important as them. So Kama finds that he grudgingly approves of them. And now that Kakashi has proven to be a little nicer than Kama originally thought. A little more diligent. Kama has to give him credit, because the boy took care of him the entire time that he was sick.

He did not have to do that.

But he still did.

So Kama eases up on him.

At least a little bit.

That does not mean that he does not still give the older boy some small bit of hell though. After all he is still not happy about this situation. As it is, he is the first of them to recover. Therefore he is the first of them back in the academy. Walked there by a Kakashi who is watching him, and the area around them far too closely. It makes his tail lash out and he bares his teeth because seriously.

Seriously?

He is not three!

He is five He could easily walk himself to the Academy. But he tolerates it. Because he remembers that something is wrong. Something is lurking and he remembers… Something lurking in the darkness just beyond. So he tolerates Kakashi walking him to the Academy. It does not hurt that Pakkun is right there as well, the small brown pug walking between them.

So he tolerates it, and can appreciate the gesture for what it is.

When they finally reach the entrance to the Academy he pulls himself away and with a huff walks off. Reaching the classroom he hesitates. His hand lingers just inches away from the knob and he just hesitates. It would only take a single more movement, but he just can not. He just can not quite force himself to. So he steps back and stares, before turning and before the door can open he is gone.

Kama can not pull himself together. He does not stop running until he is deep in the Forest of Death. Trees around him, shielding him and the scents of the forest, of nature deeply burying his own beneath them. He takes a deep breath and curls up beneath the trees. His tail curls around him and he presses his hands onto the top of his head. He sucks in a desperate breath before squeezing his eyes shut.

He can not.

He will not.

He does not want to go there when Yue and Tobi are not going to be there. Even when they are falling apart…

He will not.

So he retreats and curls up. Trying to avoid the subject. Trying to avoid the Academy, because ultimately it does not matter. It does not matter, and he curls up. He squeezes his eyes shut, presses his ears down against his head and grits his teeth. There is a sharp, acute pain in his head. Spiking, stabbing and he wants to scream. Burning behind his eyes, and down through his throat, shooting out to the tips of his toes and fingers, to the tip of his tail and the tips of his ears and nose, and…

He growls, deep and animalistic as he rolls himself over and onto all fours.

Something is here.

Something is wrong and he growls. A pulse of white energy echoes from around him and he growls. Tail lashing out, nails hardening and sharpening on his hands and feet, and his teeth lengthen within his mouth, morphing into fangs. He feels his hair fluff and spike, can see it turn wild. His ears spring up and he snarls.

He snarls at the shadows, at what he is sure is lurking there. His eyes glow, and his pupils dilate. His humanity fleeing for the moment as every instinct he has is pushed into the overdrive.

"GET OUT!" He snarls as something shifts in the shadows. And sharp narrow spots of gold shine. "GET OUT!" He repeats, his chakra rising in a vortex around him. "YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" he howls, crouching down, his tail lashing and the faint image of a scythe forming in the whirl of his chakra. "I WILL REMOVE YOU FROM THIS REALM IF YOU REMAIN!" Saying that he launches forwards, and whatever it is sinks away, disappearing into the ground.

Kama remains in his heightened state of agitation long after though. Only after the moon begins to rise does he drop out, and that is only because the exhaustion is creeping up. He huffs, as it fades and shakes his head.

"Show yourself again... I dare you!" he huffs under his breath before slinking out of the forest and home.

He never notices the eyes at his back.

" **Quite interesting…"**

* * *

Kama glares at his food. Ignoring Kakashi because he really does not want to deal with the older boy right now. He knows that Kakashi knows that he did not go to the Academy, but he really does not care. It does not matter, it is not worth it, not when Yue and Tobi are still sick. And besides, he can learn everything needed perfectly well on his own.

From Kakashi, or Rin, or if all else he could always go to Orochimaru and bother the snake man until he taught them something anything. Just to make them go away. So Kama does not care about the older boy and his disappointment. Because it does not matter. It does not matter.

Not when it is simple and easy and…

He could also figure it all out on his own. Because that is what Shāo taught them. The lessons that they learnt under his care, not so easily forgotten even now. It is not easy to forget what they learnt. Not when it was their formative years.

Kama could easily figure out the jutsu needed to graduate on his own, no problem.

It would be simple, easy, but at the same time. It would mean that they would be even more in the spotlight. In view of everyone else. And… Kama is not sure how he feels about that idea. He knows that Tobi would not enjoy it. Tobi would not relish in the spotlight, with attention on him, people watching him and Yue…

They are not used to this.

Not used to being the absolute center of this much attention.

After all, before it was just them and Shāo, just them and the man who had made them. Given them life and existence. Given them a home and some semblance of family. Some facsimile, an idea of what family was supposed to be. But, they had never been in front of tons of people. In front of crowds of people who would know them and look to them. Who they would have to talk to and meet and…

Kama knows that each of them will react differently to it.

He could handle it. Yue could handle it…

Tobi… would not be able to handle it.

So he simply pokes at his food, grumpy. And mostly ignores Kakashi because he does not want to deal with the older boy. Does not want to explain why he did not go to the Academy. Did not go there.

Did not…

Kama sinks himself down and half slumps. Because he does not want to talk about it, it does not matter. It does not matter, and Kama does not want it to matter. So he stubbornly refuses to face Kakashi, refuses to face what is going on. He just does not want to talk about it. He does not want to think about it.

Kama does not want to wonder.

 _He lost control_.

He became a monster. He remembers that, and the feeling, the rush of power and energy and he knows… That was something given to them by Shāo. By the man who had raised them. By the man who created them, and that is something that Kama really does not want to talk about.

Especially not with Kakashi. So eventually he pushes the food on his plate around, before pushing his plate away and slipping off.

"Night… Kakashi-san…" he says disappearing into his room.

* * *

Deep darkness leeches into the shadows of Konoha. Leaves sway on the tree branches and the wind howls, banging up against windows and slamming shutters. Dead branches sway in the wind, and the half-moon ominously raises up into the sky. Slowly, raising and making the shadows loom even more.

In the night small paws move, as animals flee, scared of something unseen.

And seeping up out of the ground danger rose. An elderich horror from long before the Shinobi Villages even began, from before the beginning of the Shinobi age even. Golden eyes slide open and the being grins, stretching itself out and looking around the night quiet village. The unsuspecting village.

" **Yes… how interesting indeed!"** it grins, looking up at the half-moon before letting out a dark rumbling laugh that would have surely given even some veteran shinobi nightmares had they been around to hear it. **"Now then… if that is the first one… ahh there one is…"** The being sinks into the ground and slides through the dirt. Reemerging just outside of the house, only to be forced to duck back down, seeping back into the earth.

"AND STAY AWAY!" The shout that follows is punctuated by a final thrown shuriken, narrowed brown eyes and a snarl. Despite her normal appearance, Rin really is not someone to cross. A determined medic, a determined _Nohara medic_ is something to fear.

Besides, when they have already been spotted its best to flee before the alarm is raised. But still the shadow watches, with glittering gold in the shadows as the girl remains on guard. As she bares her teeth and scans the area for the smallest sign that they are still there. The smallest hint. Raising their eyes just enough they are able to catch a small-

"There you are!"

 _Abort Abort_ Kuro's mind screams and the elderich horror zips back underground. Just in time to avoid a particularly purposefully potent attack made up of iryo-chakra. Yes, it is best not to anger a Nohara, or threaten their precious people…

Distantly the being is really, really glad that she is yet still unaware of her friends continued state of living. Because they do not want to find out how she would react or what she would do… Finally though it moves, through silent streets, and solemn shadows to the last of the odd trio.

The last of the animal trio.

The Uchiha child, Tobi.

Rising up in the boy's room the being looks down at him. And is instantly struck with all the similarities that the boy shares with his _older brother_. With Obito. Messy flyaway black hair, rounded gentle features, with large eyes, pale skin and… It is annoying, because if they just looked a little less alike. But still the being shrugs, because this is all surface, what it wants to know… _needs to know_ is what the boy's sharingan is like. And what the extended ability might one day be.

And to do that would only take-

"Okaasan! Otousan! Some weird Shadow is looming over Tobi!"

Frustrated Kuro's eyes snap up to glare at the annoyingly loud and pesky boy in the doorway. Itachi… The Uchiha Clan's current heir. Not that the creature cares, especially not when the small, jackal featured boy in the bed snaps his eyes open, and they are already sharingan red, spinning and…

The being snarls, and is forced to flee, as the boy jolts up and starts to scream bloody murder. The being is gone before the lights can even finish flickering on. But Tobi does not stop screaming until long after they are far away from the village, and back in their lair.

With a lot more to consider.

" **Yes… I think that all three of them are quite interesting…"** The black being grins to themself. **"Quite the nice job you done, Tsumeito Shāo… And, you left all the ingredients, and instructions right here…"** The creature's smile sharpens into a smirk before it disappears at a noise down the hall. **"Such a pity then… that this little mouse is not able to keep to himself… hmm…"** And their laughter echoes rather ominously throughout the cave. Slowly, the elderich being sinks into the ground, ready to play one of the hardest cat and mouse games to survive.

After all, when the enemy could be anywhere and in literally anything what are your odds over survival.

" **Poor little mouse…"**

* * *

 **Notes:** Just a few translations… even if they are vague and likely a little bit off… Also for anyone wondering about terms…

Shukufu-Uncle, Hakubo-Aunt, Itoko-cousin


	20. Ryūchi Cave's Snakes and

**Ryūchi Cave's Snakes and Important Possessions**

Orochimaru seethes. He seethes because he knows, he feels it in his bones that something snuck into Konoha the night before. He does not know what, and he does not know how, but he knows that there was something within Konoha's walls that should never have been there. And so he seethes, stalking through his home with his eyes narrowed, his teeth barred and his hands curled.

Because he does not know how to prevent this.

He does not know what to do and that chafes him. Because he is a genius, or he is supposed to be one. And he knows, he knows that he has trouble. He does not quite see things the way that others do, where other people have something that tells them to stop, that holds them back from going _too far_. Orochimaru has never had such a thing within himself, it has always, always come from outside sources.

So as soon as he knows that something got into Konoha, got into _his home_. And attempted to harm what he considers his…

And he learns it right from the Nohara girl herself, she has such an innocent smile when she tells him, but something in her eyes lets him know that she is not just telling him to let him know. She intends to let him do something about it.

Something that he is more than happy to do.

And he stalks into the forest, training ground forty-four. Summoning his snakes along the way they do not even need instruction. Not when it is so clear, not when it is so obvious.

Eventually he stops and he just, he takes a deep breath.

Around his neck is draped one of his favourite snakes, a large black scaled snake with lighter pale scales around the nose and underbelly. Morsus.

Narrowing his eyes once more Orochimaru glares at the tree.

"I need to know how…" he hisses, and the snake around his neck coils just slightly tighter, reassuring him of its presence. "I need to know… and… They need to be more secure…" he frowns, deeply furrowing his brow.

Sentimental.

Protective…

They are _his_.

And by extension…

"Morsus…" the snake raises its head and he tilts his own just slightly. "Would you be willing to ask the snakes back at Ryūchi Cave if they would volunteer to assist Konoha…" the snake lets out a hissing laugh before raising up its head.

"You mean if they would assist you… and why Orochimaru? Manda will want an explanation…"

Orochimaru is conspicuously silent before he huffs out a breath and rolls his eyes. Frustrated.

"Because I have found myself unable to protect them… Not in this way…" he grumbles, and it annoys him because he still does not understand. "And I am not exactly tolerable to things that threaten what I consider mine…" he grumbles. The small snake hisses out another laugh before poofing away. Orochimaru settles himself down by a tree and rolls his eyes. Muttering something under his breath.

Closing his eyes Orochimaru just breaths. Trying to find some small explanation that would make sense. A justification that would not lead to talking about the children. Because Kami forbid that ever got out, it was bad enough that people already whisper about them following him around. He did not need to lose more of his eeriness, although he does appreciate the fact that it has seemingly made him more approachable… and there are less questions about his loyalty.

About how safe he is around children.

It is as relieving as it is annoying, because now he is suddenly approachable, and he is not entirely used to people asking questions. Often the same questions as well. Of course, he really can not find fault in it, since most of the people asking the questions are those children in the Academy. In fact, he finds that he quite likes enlightening the next generation, he considers perhaps a team of his own… or rather, an apprentice maybe.

Just as his thoughts are winding down that part Morsus reappears, hissing in a way that sounds much like laughter.

"Well?" he arches a brow and the black snake almost seems like it is grinning at him.

* * *

Rin is the first to notice the small green and yellow snake, it is curled up in a corner of their house, and just watching them. It's not doing any harm where it is so Rin leaves it. She leaves it even as Yue walks in, yawning and blinking with bleery eyes. Just freshly recovered from her fever. Not that Rin is going to let the girl go straight back to the Academy.

Not yet. But the next day she would.

As soon as she is sure that Yue will be able to handle it. For now though she simply fusses over the younger girl. Double checking that she can handle her food and of course. Rin fine tunes her chakra sense. Seeking the signature that she had felt the night before. Oh she knows where the snake came from, a bit hard not to.

Orochimaru is trying and failing to pretend that he does not care about these children. And the majority of Konoha still seem to be under the impression that he will be dangerous to them as a guardian.

Rin can't say that she does not understand why, but also, she does not understand it. After all, the children all clearly showed that they would prefer him. At least initially, and even now. It feels wrong. But as it is, she mostly rolls her eyes and lets it slide. Because there is the more pressing matter of locating that thing from the night before. The creature that had snuck up on them, had tried to reach Yue.

For whatever nefarious reason…

And also.

The creature that Rin just knows has something to do with Obito. Because she could feel her best friends chakra. Distant, faded, and in aggression, most likely a failed jutsu, hanging around on the creature. Which makes her wonder. When did it attack Obito… or, considering how faint, but still there the signature was… Is Obito still alive. So she tries to find even a hint of the creature.

Either to interrogate it, or to completely eliminate it.

She is not yet quite sure which option it will be. That will depend on what it is doing when she finds it. Where she finds it, and the answer to her first question. Her instincts are leaning towards the killing it route though. Because there is something about the way Obito's chakra hung off it. About the presence that it had. So she is definitely leaning towards eliminating it completely.

But for the moment it seems to be completely gone. Out of reach. Impossible to find. So she focuses on Yue. And teaching the girl some of her medical knowledge.

The snake is harmless.

So Rin leaves it there to help her watch out for Yue.

* * *

Tobi notices the snake as soon as he wakes up. The wind whispers its reassurance and he huffs. Rolling his eyes and curling up in the bed. Shiro is safe in their terrarium, in their home. And really the small, brown snake is not doing any harm. It is just really not good at hiding. Muttering something into the pillow, he finally pushes himself up. Pushing his hair back he shakes his head. Looking at the snake he lowers one arm. Allowing the reptile to slither up and under his clothing.

Quickly Tobi changes, and he tugs his collar a little bit.

As always he discards the shoes and socks. Not understanding why they are really needed. After all, the wind has always promised that nothing will hurt him. And he has always been barefoot. Back living with Shāo. This is also when he notices that there is something missing. Finally notices, finally sees.

"Jackal?" he asks, getting down on all fours to see if his treasured plush is under the bed. Not there. "Jackal?" he flings open the closet, scrounging around within, he tosses a lot of the clothing and other toys out. Spreading them around the room. Not there. "Jackal?" Almost on the verge of panicking he opens up the chest at the end of his bed, mostly filled with shoes, he commences throwing them around. NOT THERE. "JACKAL?"

He curls his hands and plops himself down in the middle of the mess. Tears well up in his eyes, and he takes a deep breath. Tobi has always had Jackal. He sniffs, once, twice, and finally bursts out wailing.

Wailing for his lost plush.

Wailing because he has always had Jackal, has never been without it.

Fugaku opens the door to find Tobi still sitting and wailing in the center of the mess that he has made. Sniffing the five year old looks up at him, with tears staining his cheeks. Still new ones welling up and a bright red face.

"Tobi wants JACKAL!" Tobi screams, hugging himself and rocking just a little bit. Upset because his plush is not magically appearing in front of him. The way it used to when they were underground. When they were with Shāo. "Tobi wants JACKAL!" He howls, even more tears falling. "Jackal… Jackal? Where Tobi's Jackal?" Tobi whines sniffing as even more tears flow, glittering in the morning's light as they fall to the floor.

Fugaku looks uncomfortable, and lost.

Tobi scrunches up his face, getting ready to wail again and there is clear panic in Fugaku's eyes. He is obviously still not used to dealing with children, or really it is probably that Itachi is not a normal child.

The snake, coiled where it is under Tobi's shirt and around his arm, hisses out a laugh, mostly aimed at Fugaku. But Tobi does not really react to it, instead wailing once more. He just wants his Jackal back. His precious plush companion. He can't remember where he last had it, at the Academy maybe? But that was days ago, or really almost a week ago.

"Tobi wants Jackal!" Tobi wails, his voice soon reaching the absolute top volume that it can. Fugaku grimaces and looks away. Looking down the hall, clearly desperate for help. Footsteps echo down the hall and Tobi opens his eyes back up only long enough to recognize Itachi. He sniffs, hiccups slightly and breaks down into a new round of tears. "Jackal… Jackal…" he says, the words muffled by his sleeves and mangled by his sobs.

The plush is still missing.

Still absent and it tears. It tears at Tobi's heart. He can feel his eyes changing, shifting, sharpening. An itch in his sockets and he closes them. His tears remain clear, and he whimpers into his sleeves. Crying. Crying because he wants his plush. He wants his Jackal.

He wants his Jackal.

 _He needs his Jackal._

Tobi screws up his fists, scrunches up his face and closes his eyes. Body curling, his tail and ears twitching. Hands clenched tightly he grits his teeth and he whimpers.

 _He needs his Jackal._

"Oh kami…" he distantly hears Fugaku whisper in the doorway. "He is one of those members of our clan…"

* * *

Kama stares with narrow eyes at the snake on his bed. He does not care that it is clearly here because of Orochimaru. Because the man is trying to be subtle about his worry, because his instincts are still blazing. Buzzing. And his ears twitch, his lip curls and he fists his hands in his sheets.

There are eyes other than theirs watching.

His tail lashes out behind him and he growls. He growls, snapping his head around, the snake is not the harm here. No. That thing is. He growls, pushing open his window and… there is nothing. He scrunches up his face, a low growl echoing from the back of his throat. His chakra hums beneath his skin and he huffs. Crossing his arms over his chest he returns his gaze to the snake.

"Okay…" he shakes his head. "So what do I refer to you as?" he asks, because he knows that the snake can talk. It would be more surprising if it were unable to. Since it is clearly one of Orochimaru's Summons.

"Hanemaru…" the snake hisses coiling itself in his discarded blankets. "And I am here to watch over-"

"Do I look as if I care?" Kama cuts the snake off with a swish of his tail and a flick of his ears. He turns around to once more glare out the window, still feeling the eyes on them. "Where is it? Where is that coming from?" he snarls, digging his hands into the frame of his window. "Watashi ha anata ga soko ni iru shittei masu. DE TE KURU!"

The snake hisses, and he snarls, his ears pressing further and further down, more and more into his head. His eyes narrow and he can feel his chakra stirring again, in the same way that it did when he had raced off.

"Calm down!" the snake hisses as his tail lashes and his hair sticks up, bristling.

"I know you're there. COME OUT!" He screams, launching himself from the window. "COME OUT!" he lands with his tail fluffing up, all the fur on end. Spiky rather than fluffy. His nails sharp like claws, both feet and hands, fangs glinting in his mouth, eyes narrowed, pupils unfocused, and he curls.

Only to yelp when there is a small nip.

A small one, no broken skin but it is enough to startle him, to drag his attention to the grumpy hissing snake coiling around his neck and slightly down his arm. It clearly does not approve. Hanemaru does not approve.

"Kama?" he looks up and at Kakashi who is staring at him with a single unimpressed eye. The other tucked away, hidden. His _gift_. And Kama suddenly wants to scream at Kakashi, to make him go away. Because he is just on edge. There is another nip that stops him, so instead he just glowers at his brother. Glowers and fumes and, he snaps his head around. A small rustle of the bushes and oh…

Oh…

It is just Bull.

Bull and… Kama freezes, his mind basically reverting to one single thought at the sight of exactly what the black bulldog is carrying.

"Oh. Kuso…" Kama whimpers, his ears and tail dropping right down, and his eyes flying wide open.

"Kama!" it is odd that Kakashi would be so disapproving of his language, but Kama ignores it. Instead shifting nervously, swaying slightly on his spot.

"That is… That is Tobi's Jackal…" he shakes his head and carefully raises his hands up. "Bull… Bull if you could…" the big dog looks at him and Kama feels his tail waver between his legs, feels his arms shake. But not because of the dog, not because of Bull but. "Tobi… Tobi will…"

Honestly, Kama does not know what Tobi will do, but he does know. While he and Yue eventually lost(or destroyed) their plush toys. A wolf and a bunny respectively. Tobi never lost Jackal. Except once, _only once_ , and afterwards Shāo made it a point to make sure that Tobi always had his Jackal. As if the younger boy did not already do that himself. Hardly letting it out of his grasp so now.

"Bull… please release the jackal plush…" Kama pleads, shaking his head, trying not to worry too much. "Please… please, Tobi needs…"

He falls silent, because there is a chill that races up his spine. It is as if the wind has suddenly stopped and Kama shivers. He looks around, and back at Bull with pleading eyes.

"Please…"

"I do not think that we want to know… why Shāo made sure that Tobi always had Jackal… Bull… Please drop the plush…"


	21. Mischief, Sorcery and Growing Apart

**Mischief, Sorcery and Growing Apart**

In some places, Jackals symbolize the afterlife. In the shinigami's shadow they lead people into the next life. In others, they are mere tricksters, playing around and leading people astray, often with a bit of mischief.

Desolation, loss and despair. Abandonment… Other symbolism associated with the animal.

And of course, a favoured form of the clever sorcerer…

* * *

Tobi is a jackal.

Maybe not entirely. Maybe not truly. But… A jackal was the animal which had its DNA merged into his own. And despite what most would initially assume based on the way they appear. None of the children are really _'human'_ the way everyone else is. Just enough of animal is in them. Although, they are not close to the wild animals that roam Ikioi… no… rather they are more like the summons.

And, the Jackals… from Veredi Yabu are very close to their dimension twisting roots that come with being associated with death and the Shinigami.

And Tobi inherited that.

Also, as the wind whispers, Tobi inherited facets from Obito that slot in alongside these features. The _kamui_ although years out of his reach, he only has two spinning tomoe in his eyes. But he would share it with his brother, with his aniki. Although really, at the same time…

He does not need the Kamui to teleport.

Not with his heritage from the Jackals.

So Tobi is a Jackal, with space-time natured chakra, _Jikuuton_ , as they all do. It is as easy as breathing, as listening to the wind. And as he curls up, fisting his hands and gritting his teeth, his chakra rumbles and roars within. Rising in response to his emotions, and when his eyes snap open they glow with a red light within.

Tobi is not home.

Only the Jackal remains. Tako.

Not human. No thoughts. Just instinct. The thing that had terrified Shāo. Because there are no thoughts, nothing to process. Only instincts and wants and the single driving priority.

JACKAL.

JACKAL.

 _JACKAL…_

The only thought that does make it through. The only thing that he is able to understand. His tail lashes, his entire body twitches, his eyes glow, the red rising through the entire room. Tomoe spinning, and his nails all sharpen, toughen. Just like Kama's change. Just like Kama's alteration, and he snarls. Ears sliding down, back aggressive. He snarls and rights himself.

There is someone there.

Tako snarls, looking up at the taller man. The one with straight chocolate brown hair, dark coal eyes. A long shirt with a high collar. Tako snarls, tail lashing out, and he can only just register that the man is startled as he launches himself forwards.

"JACKAL!"

"CHIKISHOU!"

"Fugaku! Watch the language you use around children!"

Tako is already gone, racing away on all fours, not thinking. Only moving, determined to find Jackal. Determined to find his companion. Behind him Fugaku leans on the wall with his face in his hands and shakes his head. Mikoto frowns disapprovingly at the man, and Itachi stares. Finally Itachi looks between his parents and back after the other child.

"What? What just happened with Tobi?"

* * *

Yue's ears spring up, and she looks up startled. Her hand is still in Rin's and they are in the middle of the street. Not on the way to the Academy, just heading down the street to get some groceries. Rin has already explained that she wants to keep a careful eye on her. Yue's nose twitches, and her ears swivel before dropping down.

"Oh… Oh kuso…" Yue mutters. "Tobi, something is going wrong…" she mutters, shaking her head. It's more exasperated than anything else. Before it abruptly just clicks and her eyes widen. "Jackal… he must have, he must have temporarily lost Jackal…" Or it had been stolen, but the Uchiha did not seem to mind Tobi keeping his precious toy. In fact, as far as she had been aware, they had been somewhat like Shāo, careful to make sure that Tobi always had it…

Perhaps not.

The fact is of course that Tobi is clearly freaking out. Tobi is freaking out, she can hear him. So she tugs Rin back, just barely in time. As Tobi races past, in a rather feral state.

"Great…" she sighs shaking her head. "Rin-nee?"

"Should, should we get Orochimaru to help? Or find Mikoto-san and Fugaku-san?" Yue shakes her head, before pointing. Because the Uchiha couple are already there, along with a rather dizzy and disorientated looking Torikeshi. Yue looks at all three of them, rather unimpressed. Fugaku shakes his head and Mikoto frowns, looking rather disapproving herself.

"Uchiha?" Yue asks lowering and tilting her head, allowing her ears to swivel. "Where is Tobi's Jackal?" she asks and Mikoto blinks, before her eyes widen. She must have just realized the significance of the plush. Just realized why it is such a big deal. Mikoto snaps her head around to glare at Fugaku who merely groans, and Yue hums. "Okay, so you do not know… so where is Tobi?"

"Tobi move really fast, and gone!" Yue tilts her head, slowly turning to face Itachi. "Also, Tobi moved on all fours." Itachi mimed and Yue nods her head.

"Of course! We just saw him…" Yue says her ears flicking up, there is barking. Howling, and yelping. Her ears swivel around and she shakes her head. The barking is followed by two voices swearing in tandem.

"Kakashi!" Rin curls a hand, her smile sharpening and her eyes closing. Yue simply shakes her head.

"We already knew how to swear…" she says, resting one hand on her cheek. "So do not blame Kakashi, or Obito-nii, blame Shāo-sama!" She smiles, before bounding away and easily landing by a rather dazed looking Kama. Who mumbles something into the dirt. He lifts his head and rolls over to face her before groaning.

Pushing himself up the wolf boy snarls before wiping himself down. He rapidly shakes his head before turning to them. Kama's tail lashes out behind him and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Something is very wrong… Tobi, is not… he…" he stops and takes a breath. "I went a bit feral myself a few days ago… but it was in response to a threat… Tobi is just reacting… Bull has Jackal…" he huffs and lashes his tail, a single ear flicking in annoyance. "And I do not know where the dog is…"

"Well… That is going to be a problem…"

There is a howl in the distance and they both turn to face it. Ears drooping.

* * *

Tako, does not need to think. Does not need to know anything more than what their goal is. And Tako knows what their goal is. _Jackal._ Their most important possession. Their _first possession_. The one thing that they know that they have always had. _Always_. So they move, all senses on high alert to attempt to track it down.

The scent familiar, firm in their mind. In their memory. Impossible for them to forget. Musky, dirt with a small bit of copper and lavender mixed in.

Something that they can not forget. That they will never forget.

It is their comfort in the darkness, the familiar in the strange and it is their home. Constant companion and the one thing that they have left. So they do not care to wait, and just allow Tobi to sob and wail about it missing. They force themselves forwards and breathe deeply. Tracking and compiling every scent. Every feeling, and they let themself loose. Let the rage and anger and everything that Tobi has been holding back push them forwards. Push them to their goal.

The wind howls around them and they snarl, eyes slit and teeth bared. Claws clearly visible and their hair even wilder than Tobi's normal hair.

Tako is not human.

Tako is the jackal within.

And Tako is furious because Jackal is their toy. Their companion, and only theirs. No one else has it and no one else can take it. Especially not some black furred mutt with a spiked collar. So they snarl and push themself forwards even more, the wind screaming warnings that only they can understand and hear.

Because the wind is theirs. The wind is Tobi's. Part of their nature.

And they howl. Gleeful and triumphant when they land on the canine's back, before sinking their teeth, their fangs down.

"GIVE JACKAL BACK!" The howl echoes around them, claws dig in and they feel the wind whip around them. "Give. Jackal. Back!" Their eyes glow, spinning with the sharingan and they ignore the screaming and swearing from the silver haired boy in a mask nearby. Tako does not care, they only care about Jackal.

As soon as the canine drops their plush they snatch it up. And snarl, tail whipping around. This is not the end. It is not over. No where near, because they lost jackal, even if only for a moment. And…

Tobi is still not happy.

 _Obito-nii can not come home yet…_ the wind whispers in Tako's ear and they flicker them both. _Konoha is not safe yet, not with the danger in the shadows…_ And Tako growls. Hands digging into the familiar plush of their toy, and toes curling in the damp grass beneath their feet. Tail lashing the boy turns and he sniffs. Breathing deeply and opening his mouth. No, Obito-nii can not come home yet.

And…

Tobi still does not like this place. Because they did not want to come here. Not originally, afterwards they were not allowed to go home with their chosen guardian, and… they snap their head around and snarl at the silver haired boy. _At Kakashi_.

Because he left and never brought Obito-nii back home.

So Tako feels, knows, believes that there is still more to be done. Raising themself up they deeply breathe. Feeling the wind around them, playing in their hair and more. Another breath, in and out. Another, feeling their chakra, the energy around and within and. Eyes snap open and they howl. Disappearing from their spot between one blink and the next.

Tako lands somewhere unfamiliar to them.

It is also unfamiliar with Tobi, so both of them then. Tako takes another deep breath, feeling the pain and fear, sadness that just lingers in the halls. That weighs over the place like a heavy blanket and they close their eyes. Taking another breath they swish their tail and lower their ears.

This is wrong.

This is wrong, danger. Tako jumps to the side, spinning around and snarling. The one attacking them is barely a few years older than they are. Maybe just over the age of eleven. And Tako snarls, because the wind whispers about the secrets this place has.

Seals on tongues and fear, in the control of one going against the village. Already a traitor in his heart. If not in his soul. So Tako ducks down and crouches, Jackal secure against their chest. A snarl, eyes that memorize every detail and they launch forwards, slipping right through the fabric of the dimension to land back in their room.

And…

Tako slips back and away.

Releasing control back to Tobi. Who laughs and hugs Jackal with a huge smile. Heedless of the chaos that he has just wrought. That Tako wrought when in control. It is not like it matters in the long run either, and Tobi smiles. Closing his eyes, before opening them. Looking out the window and blinking.

"Tobi… Tobi, jackal to." the small boy mutters, before holding his hands up and breathing deeply. This is not something that he needs to think about. After all, it is in the nature of his chakra, natural. Innocent. Easy, and he just makes it appear. The small roll, the small object that Tako had marked.

A scroll.

One that they are not supposed to know about.

Not supposed to see.

Tobi hums, and taps his leg, before smiling. He looks at the plush beside him before standing up and tucking the scroll away into the box of shoes. He settles back on the bed and stares up at the roof with his hands behind the back of his head.

"Do not worry… Tobi can keep a secret" he says closing his eyes and smiling. "Tobi keep scroll safe for Obito-nii!"

After all… there is no one else in the house to hear him, aside from Jackal. Back where the plush belongs.

* * *

Yue stares disapprovingly at Kama, at Kakashi. At Bull as well because this is somehow the dog's fault. The deep bite marks left in the canine's flank are evidence enough of that. But, Yue is also disapproving because she knows, that it is not all their fault, not all the canine's fault. After all, none of them noticed that Tobi was missing his jackal.

None of them noticed that the plush was gone.

None of them, and that is what led to this.

So Yue acts disapproving. Because she is not happy about it at all.

 _Not. Happy._

They are the older siblings. They are supposed to notice these things. So why did they miss them? Why did they miss that Jackal was missing? Why?

Because, she realizes, they are growing apart. Split as they are now, they are less together. Tobi is free like the wind, and he is happier. Maybe not entirely, but as long as he has Jackal, and the support that those people, that _the Uchiha_ give… that is all that Tobi needs.

And she…

She has Rin. Rin-nee. Who has shown her so much, given her so much, a new way to see the world. And even Kama…

They are splitting up. Walking down different paths, and no longer together the way that they once were. Not like they were down in the Lab, down where they grew up and… Yue still does not know how to feel. She is alright with the changes, but at the same time.

Bunnies are tricksters…

Jackals are tricksters…

Wolves… Wolves, like Kama are different. Pack, and family, but also freedom.

Kama is not settling. Not as well, not when they are changing, but as Yue realizes with this incident. They are all starting to forget, to not see. To walk in different directions and down different paths.

This is something that they can not change. And Yue… she does not believe that they should change it. She thinks that this is just another step, another way for them to break free and really. She shakes her head and reaches out to Rin. Allowing the older girl to lead her back home.

"It is time we stepped away…" she mutters looking up at the clouds in the sky. "Because change can not be stopped."

"What's that Yue?"

"Nothing, Oneechan!" Yue smiles up at the older girl before giving a quick look backwards, to what is behind them. "Absolutely nothing…"


	22. In All Our Bones…

**In All Our Bones…**

They don't sit together when they return to the Academy. Separated by rows and by seats and Kama feels his heart sink down, dropping somewhere into his stomach. He had known, but he had hoped. He had hoped.

And now those hopes are crushed, ground into dust as Tobi avoids even glancing at him. As Yue hums and works on the mathematics problems laid before them. As they both ignore him. And, it hurts.

It hurts, because Kama knows, he knows. He has been seeing the signs the whole time. This is just the final nail. And it hurts, because they are, _were_ family. Nothing should have been able to change that. But now, he looks and sees that they have been changed, that they are no longer knit together. Sewn together, and he wonders if he is the reason that they have been cleaved apart. Scythe…

A scythe is a tool, it cuts things apart, slicing them and… Kama remembers Shāo muttering about death, and the Shinigami. How a scythe fit into that… Kama stares at his hands silently, is that what he is in the end? Nothing more than a tool for destruction and death but… here they are learning to be shinobi, all of them will be that in the end. All of them are learning that.

Still, he can not help, but blame himself.

If he had tried just a little bit harder, if… if he had managed to prevent himself from doing whatever it was that he done to Shāo, if he had distrusted Orochimaru more… if, if, if… there are so many ifs.

But deep down Kama knows.

He knows, watching them as the day wears on, as they practice their taijutsu. He knows, eventually they would have drifted apart anyway. Different as they are from everyone else, even together they are different.

Wolves, wolves are the apex. In their circle or predator and prey, wolves attack and drive away jackals, killing them, and both hunt bunnies. Yue, is the tricky, lucky rabbit though, and smart, able to outwit them both. Of course, Tobi does not stand for nothing. Sewing mischief as he goes… And Kama knows, because of their symbolism, even their marks. They would have drifted. Not quite fitting together. Even their abilities, the ones gifted to them by Shāo…

There is no way.

And he goes home with a weight in his chest and pain in his bones. Because he knows. He knows that eventually they would have split. They would have parted, but it still hurts. Because he would have hoped that it would come later.

He ignores Kakashi when he gets home, instead heading straight into his room. He opens the window and curls on the bed. Ears drooping and tail wrapping around him. He simply rests there and breathes. He knows, he knows… but it still hurts.

* * *

Yue feels empty.

Without Kama, without Tobi, she feels empty and alone. She can surround herself with the other children, smile and grin. Become friends with those in their age group but at the same time. It feels less real. Less raw. But she knows, that they are not right anymore. Each of them need some time. Need some space, before they will eventually be able to come back together. Yue knows this, deep down it resonates in her very bones. So she puts on a smile and makes some other friends.

She works on her work alone and she readies herself for that day.

Their day.

A few more months, it will soon be January, a new year. And, with it will be their birthdays. Their day, shared between them. Shared because Shāo created them all on the same day. She does not know how she will handle it. They have always shared the day, celebrated together in their own way.

And now… they will be on their own.

But only until they are ready to come back together, this Yue knows in the very marrow of her bones.

So she settles down, puts on the mask and prepares herself.

* * *

Tobi feels sick, and wrong. He sits curled up in a corner and just watches. Shisui is six today. It's the nineteenth, and Tobi is there because Shisui personally asked him to come. So he did. And now he feels sick. It is all so bright, so cheerful, so Shisui… but… it is also wrong. And a reminder. Because now Tobi knows.

In the next two months, it would be November, then December, and finally… their birth month. January.

Tobi feels sick. So he remains curled in the corner, just watching things unfold, not really taking part. Because this is not quite right. He feels so apart from his family, from those who he cares for, for those who care for him. Oh, the Uchiha are great but, Kama had some point when he snapped. The only ones who Tobi feels like family with, the only ones who Tobi understands… are Mikoto, Fugaku, Itachi and Shisui.

Obito-nii is not an Uchiha… not to Tobi, Obito-nii is something else, the wind whispers. A forgotten place, a magical place and a place not Konoha, with half-blood and two lines. Obito-nii is not an Uchiha. So Tobi does not count him among the clan. As it is, he does not entirely feel right here.

So he just does not involve himself beyond how he is.

Here. Tobi is here, and that does seem to be enough for Shisui, the boy beaming, and grinning. Bouncing around the entire area, laughing. Smiling, being himself. So Tobi is here, he is here because Shisui asked him to come and… slowly he unwinds himself. Shisui waves him over, with Itachi beside him. And Tobi slowly joins them, smiling as he settles. His tail gently swaying and ears perked. He does not mind that much, but at the same time.

It is just another step. Another change.

He closes his eyes and smiles, because, this is alright.

Tobi still feels sick…

* * *

November passes, followed by December, they progress. Remaining apart, and soon January is nearly there.

Tobi finds himself awake one night. Holding Jackal and staring up at the full moon. He takes a deep breath, and slowly lets it out. It echoes in the air, rising up and meeting the moon. A howl. Long and solemn. Greeting the night and telling it about his sadness. His want for things to regress. To go back.

To return.

Tears trail down his cheeks and he wipes a sleeve over his face. Ears flat, he sniffs and looks up at the moon. Hugging Jackal close he closes his eyes.

"Please… Please bring Obito-nii back home soon…" he whispers into the night. More tears trail and he sniffs. "Tobi no want to be here alone no more… Tobi want, Tobi want Obito-nii…" He longs to see his Oniisan, his Aniki, his _niisan_ return. He wants Obito back. He wants the older boy so much. His family, his real family, and he breaths deeply. Feeling more tears falling. Because he does not know how much longer he can hold onto this. Hold onto himself.

Not really.

Something is wrong. Something is changed, and Tobi can feel it shifting under his skin. Down in his bones, something is wrong. Something is wrong and Tobi just knows. While they need to be apart from one another, still are apart from one another something is creeping in. Sneaking through the shadows. Under his pajamas, around his arm coils the snake. Watching for Orochimaru, to give the man a way to watch them.

But Tobi knows that they are fine.

It is something else.

"Please… Please!" he reaches out with a single hand, into the wind. "Bring Obito-nii home… Shadow lurks and Tobi no feel safe…" Tobi lowers his head and the brown snake pokes its head out. "Chaja?" he lowers his expression to the snake and it raises up before he looks out at the full moon again. "Oro'maru needs warning… Bandage Man is working with Shadow and traitor sleeps in Konoha… wind says Bandage Man is making mistakes… and research?" Tobi screws up his face at the last part not quite fully understanding it. "Time short… Running out…" Tobi curls his hands and closes his eyes.

He simply breaths, feeling the snake as it moves. Slithers down his arm and out. Away from the building. Away from them, and he opens his eyes again. Red and glowing with the sharingan, but he is not looking at anything. He is just listening. Because there is danger lurking, danger stirring and the wind is worried.

 _Run, run, run away… Buy yourself another day…_

He listens to the wind, low and hushed. It's barely there really.

 _Run, run, run and hide. Somewhere no one else can find…_

He curls his hands, and bares his teeth. Something is stirring in the lands beyond the Elemental Nations, beyond their borders, beyond the world that they know and Tobi knows. Because the Bandage Man protects some things, preventing some from reaching another world. The wind reassures and confirms, that if people left that way… Well, it would not be like the Wars this world has already seen.

But also…

"Wrong choice… Wrong choice…" Tobi shakes his head. Before frowning. "Should tell Pervet and Medic… but, Oro'maru need know first…" He gives one last look to the moon before sweeping back inside.

* * *

Orochimaru stares at the snake, not quite able to believe what it has just told him. Clearly, some of what the snake was saying were still in Tobi's words. The small boy with his still rather broken speech and odd way of referring to people and himself. Tobi still often referred to himself in third person- Orochimaru forces himself to focus.

Bandage Man, clearly Danzo, but what wrong choices was Tobi worrying about? And the wind, Orochimaru really longs to know exactly what connection the small child has to that… but mostly, the sticking point is research.

There are only a couple of big pieces of research that immediately come to his mind.

Shāo's life research(and Blessing research) that resulted in the three and… Orochimaru feels his eyes narrow, and his hands curl. There is also his own research, under said man's suggestion ' _for the betterment of Konoha'_ on the Mokuton. Research that after his assumed failure, along with some issues about the subjects that he was given to test with, he abandoned. Left to rot…

But, how could Tobi possibly know about that? Tobi's wind does not tell him everything. Not as far as Orochimaru has seen. But maybe he should ask the child exactly what the wind does tell him. Because these warnings that the child sometimes spouts do hit incredibly close to the truth. Close to the heart of each matter. So he resolves to do that, to ask the child about what the wind tells him.

But for the moment…

He has to deal with Danzo, with the _Bandage Man_ as Tobi is fond of calling him. And whatever the Shadow is that the boy has consistently warned him about. Consistently complained about. Consistently showed up wherever Orochimaru was to hide from. The Shadow, and really Orochimaru wants to find whatever it is and completely eradicate it.

Every last piece of it wiped out of existence because it is the one thing that always scares Tobi. That drives Tobi to hide and flee.

More than the children around them anyway. Since Tobi is the only one of the three who is not that social. He has observed them, when they are at the Academy, and split apart the way that they have been. Which actually makes him feel kind of uncomfortable to think about. Because he still remembers how close they had initially been, when he had first met them down in the Underground. When they had lived mere rooms away from each other under the care of Shāo. Reading each other and adjusting their own behaviour subtly based on each's reactions. So now to know and see, to understand that they are split apart.

It is actually painful to observe.

So Orochimaru tries not to involve himself too much, instead he has mostly sequestered himself away in his own private Lab. Looking over the small vials that he has left over from those experiments. The small vials with Hashirama's DNA, ready to use…

Well, it is rather hard to fight the temptation to investigate and try to understand how it works. And now a warning has come, from Tobi… from the Wind, as Tobi says.

A warning about Danzo… but of course, this is not the only research that he has. That could tempt the man to do something. That would interest the Shadow that terrifies all the children. And the other research is of course Shāo's own. The burried research that was just left in the Underground. Left to rot, to decay and fade away.

And it is, discomforting to think about.

Because if that is the research Tobi means…

Orochimaru curls his hands, narrows his eyes and considers. No, he won't let Danzo or this _Shadow_ use it… But also Tobi keeps whispering, according to Chaja, the small boy keeps talking about Obito. Whispering and pleading, even now, as if the older boy were still alive and just running late. But Orochimaru knows, that is an impossibility.

Although…

He does stop, and wonder, because the Sharingan. And some of the abilities that he has heard whispered about, linked to it…

He wonders sometimes…

And some part of him holds a small bit of hope, just for Tobi that the older boy might still be alive. If likely rather horribly injured. Alive, because Tobi with all his innocence deserves to still have his brother…

If nothing else.

* * *

Kama knows…

Tobi knows…

Yue knows…

They are not quite siblings any more. Still close, but right now, they are all apart. And they are coping with it in different ways. With different goals, but at the same time. As they sit in the Academy they still unconsciously respond to one another. Each of them shifting their posture based on the others. Small twitches of their ears and tails, subtle movements of wrists, a tap on the desk or the floor. Things that are ingrained in them.

To their very bones.

Their very souls.

It is instinct. Things that they can not help. And why they know, they are still siblings. Just split with a bit of distance so they can truly adjust.

Separately they come to the same conclusion, the same result. And separately they prepare. Different ideas, different goals, a different endgame for each of them.

Kama knows, he knows that he has to be strong. Stronger than he is, stronger and more understanding. He has to be ready, to be prepared and strong enough for the pack. Learning the traditions, the few that Kakashi knows and remembers are hard. But Kama knows, he has Samurai in his heritage and the sword is in his blood. So he prepares, because it is coming up, he has to reach the goal, to reach it with them…

Tobi knows, that he needs to be ready. Ready fast and ready soon, ready for the changes that are coming, and he is ready. Because Mikoto-Hakubo is changing. Glowing and happy, Itachi is eager, and they are expecting something. Still quite a few months away, waiting for will have reached his first goal by then. So would have Kama and Yue, Tobi knows that they will have had to…

Yue knows, she knows that she is the heart right now. The medic, the balm to soothe, somewhere in the middle and she has to learn. To mediate to balance, to be the equal, between Kama down to earth, solid and responsible, but cutting and final. Between Tobi, free like a kite caught in the wind, and flying up high over head. She has to be ready, because the darkness is creeping closer. They have to move forwards together, even when separate…

And all three close their eyes and breathe.

Brown, Grey and Black snap open and vicious matching smirks cross their faces as they set a date in mind.

And together they step forwards.

* * *

 **Notes:** Do you know how annoying the timeline stuff is here… therefore quick thing, the Mokuton experiments have already happened… which yeah, dark but honestly it's basically trying to logic it out and figure out the mathematics of it.

Because Kinoe/Tenzo was ten when he originally met Kakashi, and already had the Mokuton. And I like to assume that he was maybe five-six when he was "gifted" with it… and since Kakashi was fourteen when he met Kinoe/Tenzo the first time(since it was post-Kyubi) that implies a few things… so yeah, Mokuton has already happened… Under Danzo's suggestion but yeah… seriously though it's a mess.

Also years and timelines and ages, and blargh…

Basically the canon timeline came and tripped me up here… Which is frustrating.


	23. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

**Wolves in Sheep's Clothing**

January.

January, their birth month. And of course, it is their birthday, the twelfth. It's a Friday. And they are six, and still apart. It is the first time that they have ever been apart from one another on their Birthday. None of them quite know how to react, how to deal.

Kama has Kakashi…

Yue has Rin…

Tobi sits alone in his room, refusing to tell any of the Clan. It is not right, not to him. He could tell, but he does not want an event like Shisui had, he just wants Obito-nii… Just a small thing. A small time together with family.

It is out of reach, far beyond what he can stretch out and touch. It hurts. And he curls himself around Jackal wondering if he really has to go to the Academy for the day. To understand that Yue and Kama have people who they can celebrate with. Close family, trusted family, even as distant as Kama still remains from Kakashi. As separate they are adjusting.

And Tobi perks his ears. Abruptly alert. Standing up he swivels them around, tilting his head just slighting. Silently he pads across the tatami floor of his room and opens the window. A deep breath, opening his mouth to taste the air and…

"Hello?" Tobi calls, lifting himself out of the window and padding across the grass. There is someone else here. Beneath his sleeve Chaja hisses in warning but Tobi does not mind the snake. Instead he stops only when he is right across from another child. A nine year old, and this boy is familiar…

Tobi thinks that he has seen the boy with Orochimaru before. And…

"Bandage man kid?" Tobi blinks up at the boy. "Tongue seal!" annoyed the older boy clearly rolls his eyes before obligingly sticking out his tongue. There is a seal and Tobi pulls a face before shaking his head. "Kinoe?" he asks and the boy blinks. Tobi nods his head satisfied before peering around him. "Who that?"

The boy remains silent and Tobi huffs. Crossing his arms and glaring at the boy, at the person who he knows is different. Knows has something that had been dead, or in the least lost… The wind says that research was stolen, filched. _It's not his fault…_ And the smaller child. Possibly no older than a year at most in the grass. The wind whispers warnings. Whispers betrayal and to be weary. Because this is a child who shares their origin according to the wind. But, also Kinoe is theirs. Not natural.

"Kinoe stay!" Tobi demands and the other boy blinks, but makes no argument. Makes no move against what Tobi has told him to do. Tobi finds himself grinning, and the wind practically purrs. Because Kinoe is supposed to be one of theirs, not the Bandage Man's. _Theirs_.

No one else's just theirs. But still, right now there is a more pressing concern. And Tobi kneels down, dew seeps through the cloth of his pants and he narrows his eyes. Staring at the tiny child swaddled in blankets. Layers of clothing, protecting the small infant from the biting chill in the air, and Tobi can barely tell if they are male or female. The wind whispers that they are a boy, and tries to get him to leave.

To get someone else, an adult. But Tobi bristles, because to leave would mean that the Bandage Man would get the child… why else would the Wood boy be there? Tobi slowly raises his head and looks at Kinoe, tail swishing behind him he frowns and considers before standing back up.

"Come!" he demands. Arms crossed over his chest, ears stiff and tail straight. Back straight and a certain bite in his voice. "Kinoe come with Tobi!" He demands before narrowing his eyes at the small child. With fluffy white hair that just barely pokes out, visibly curling. And that is the only hint of their appearance. "Bring Shiipu!" he says before turning on his heel and walking back towards the house.

He does not look to see if they are following, because he knows that they are.

There is no need to check. So he just keeps walking until stopping and taking a deep breath. His tail twitches and he breathes in again. Lowering his head, he curls his hands and his lips pull back in something of a snarl. Because the wind whispers of Kinoe's background. Forgotten and mostly left hidden to rot. But the wind does not care to hide those secrets, freely telling Tobi, revealing things that might have once been covered.

Orochimaru really is like Shāo… but Tobi does not think of them as the same. Because Orochimaru is not the same. Different and again the wind whispers… _not his fault, other factors are at play_. And Tobi knows.

But he still shakes before pushing the door open. Carefully he swivels his ears around and strains to hear the smallest of sounds. Nothing. Nary even a heartbeat, and Tobi frowns. He sniffs the air carefully before shaking his head. He turns back to Kinoe before nodding his head. Leading the nine year old in. His feet make no sound as he pads through the house, and really, the boy behind him is uncomfortably loud. Each thud like a thunderclap to his ears, especially with how quiet the house is.

How silent the building is, not even the wind whispers to him. It makes him shiver, because something is not quite right. Just slightly off. Until they finally reach his room, he slides the door open and waves the older boy in. He folds his arms over his chest and gives a sharp look to the older boy. Eyes shifting and changing automatically to be sure that he would not miss anything that Kinoe done.

"Okay… Kinoe… Senju. Senju ability…" he tilts his head, and scowls because the words feel funny when he is saying them, not quite right, not quite accurate. Either way he shakes it away before taking a deep breath. "Means, cousin…" he falters, because the wind howls, says that this is a secret, and can not be shared. Must not be shared, but Tobi ignores the wind, because Tobi knows what his heart and instincts are screaming. This is important, this connection has to be made like this. "Senju Kinoe, Senju Shiipu… and Uchiha cousin…" because the Uchiha and the Senju share their origins.

But also, this is a subtle way to hide.

To misdirect.

To keep the wool up. Tobi's eyes briefly slide over the picture on display, the one where he had hidden the scroll for Obito-nii. But for only a moment and he returns his gaze back to Kinoe and the infant in barely a heartbeat.

"Family…" Tobi says, dropping his arms down and awkwardly shifting. His ears twitch and nervously he curls his tail and presses his hands together. "Tobi, family. Senju… Uchiha, cousins… Itoko!" he stumbles through the explanation, tripping over his words before falling silent. His eyes return to normal and widen, and he notices the way that Kinoe awkwardly shifts in place. Adjusting the way that he is holding the small infant, Shiipu. He notices and catalogues it and just, slightly widens his eyes more, his bottom lip trembles and his ears lower, tail swishing and…

The other boy crumbles.

Even with the training that he has, the one thing that he has never been taught to defend against. Puppy eyes.

And Tobi beams.

* * *

Shiipu is small, really small. Tobi can easily hold them as he sits and waits for Fugaku-san to come hunting for him. Ready to walk him to the Academy. Kinoe is still in the other room, hidden in the closet. Because for all that Tobi knows they are family he does not know how to deal with the other boy…

He thinks that he will likely send Kinoe to Kakashi though, because the wind whispers, and directs and logically Kakashi would seem to be the best choice. But at the same time, Tobi looks at Kinoe and thinks that the boy really needs Rin. Support and care, gentle and soothing. But for the moment the boy is just hidden. So that he can figure it out, because he does not think that it would be right to reveal Kinoe to Fugaku or Mikoto.

It just does not feel right.

So he sits with Shiipu, waiting.

After all, he is a Jackal. And the best way to slip things by, is to hide it with something more obvious a problem. So he sets himself up, with Shiipu in his lap, and Kinoe out of sight. It does not take that long. Not really, for the door to open and Tobi perks up, his ears erect as he looks at the door. Fugaku does not look particularly happy.

Yet the man freezes when he spots the small infant in Tobi's arms.

"Fugaku-san!" Tobi cheerfully says, his tail swishing behind him, and ears flopping over. "This Shiipu! Tobi found him!" Tobi says and it is not technically a lie. Not really, after all he did find the child, it is just not the whole truth. But Tobi lets the words pass easily, slipping through with an innocent look. Mostly because he is a Jackal. A trickster. And his instincts purr at him for it. Even as he opens his mouth just slightly to smile.

"Tobi…" Fugaku starts before they both whip around at a crashing sound. A yelp and Shiro runs squeaking across the floor and up his leg, to finally perch up in his hair between his ears. Chaja hisses, coiling just slightly tighter around his arm. Tobi sighs and allows his ears to drop down, raising one hand nervously. But Fugaku does not pause, sliding the door open and revealing Kinoe where he has fallen.

With something stuck on his head. Tobi has never seen that before, where did the bucket come from? He peers around Fugaku with a bewildered expression and blinks.

"Bucket?"

"Yes…" Kinoe says sounding rather bland. "It's a bucket…" Tobi scrunches up his face before looking up at Fugaku who is pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing. Tobi feels his mouth stretch into an awkward grin before he returns his gaze to Kinoe. Who he narrows his eyes at, and his tail twitches, before he sighs. Adjusting his grasp on Shiipu he shakes his head before sharpening his posture, straightening and raising his head.

"Kinoe?"

"Are you aware that there is a passageway in your closet?" the boy asks, pushing the bucket up and looking as serious as possible. It is offcut a fair bit by the image of the bucket. Yet the words make Tobi pause.

"Shadow?"

"No…" Kinoe says, and Tobi wonders if the other boy knows how to add emotions to his voice. "Just a passage…" he says eyes shifting to Fugaku, who has a furrowed brow, narrowed eyes and Tobi's eyes are drawn to the man's hands, curling and clenching. "There is no shadow in there…"

"Not shadow…" Tobi shakes his head tail swishing viciously behind him. " _Shadow_ " he stresses the word, handing Shiipu to his shukufu, well, sort of shukufu… Obito-nii's Shukufu anyway. "Gold Shadow" he says stretching his arms out and Kinoe tilts his head just slightly before shaking his head.

"No such shadow is in there…" he speaks, slowly, as if Tobi is an idiot and the smaller boy simply sighs. Tobi shakes his head, lifting his eyes up and smiling despite himself. Only to jolt at the sound of a clearing throat behind him. He winces, slowly turning to see Fugaku. Trying, and seemingly failing to be disapproving. Mainly because the small infant has awoken, and Shiipu is waving their arms happily.

Kind of whacking Fugaku repeatedly, but happy.

Tobi feels his chest shake with laughter and raises his hands to cover his mouth, and the grin that is spreading. Behind him, Kinoe simply looks up, pushing the bucket back before glancing towards the closet. Tobi finally can not hold it back and laughs, the sound echoing and joyous. He beams and closes his eyes, ears twitching. Before he whips around to look back at Kinoe, and the closet. The door swings, whining and he flattens his ears.

"Bad…" he growls, teeth visible, and brow furrowed. Ears twitch and his tail slashes the air behind him. "Passage?"

"There is a passage behind there?" Fugaku sounds bewildered but Tobi does not even spare him a glance. Does not even twitch, there is something there. Beyond just the now clear passage. The wind whispers, secrets and warnings. "Tobi!" Fugaku barks but Tobi does not even pause. A small flicker of something and Tobi is moving.

Bounding down the passage. He does not even have to check to know that Kinoe is accompanying him. Does not need to check, but he can not feel Fugaku, and for that… he is vaguely relieved. Since the man should remain behind, take care of the small chibi. Take care of Shiipu… He skids to a stop, freezing. Something is wrong there is a chill. Behind him he hears Kinoe shift, before gasping. The slightly older boy falling silent.

"Do. Not. Move." the command is soft, quiet from the older boy and Tobi wants to turn around, to ask.

But… something drips down on top of him, slimy faintly sticky and just yucky. He freezes, and there is a drop in his stomach. Monsters spring to his mind, tales from the books, tales from whenever Shāo cared enough to share them… and Tobi really does not want to look up. He does not want to know. He does not want to know… And a light flicks on, causing Tobi to reflexively step back snapping his eyes shut.

When he opens them again he is just standing in the closet beside Kinoe and they are both staring up at Fugaku. Shiipu is sleeping in a crib in the room beyond and Tobi can feel the question marks hanging around his head. Feel the awkward need for answers because they just jumped back to suddenly been in the closet. To the world been normal and that is… that is not how it is supposed to go. The wind is laughing as well and Tobi just wants to know what that was.

"If you are quite done playing now…"

"Tobi six!" Tobi says shaking his head. "Today another year!" he explains before stepping out and looking around. He finds that he can not look up though, the wind still whispering warnings, and there is just this feeling. He can not look up. "New room?" he demands stomping his feet and narrowing his eyes at Fugaku, the man seems to have forgotten whatever just happened. "Tobi want new room!" He snaps, insistent. Because there is this niggling feeling, he looks over to Shiipu, back to Kinoe, who is keeping his own eyes on the window, or really somewhere beyond the window. "Please…" Tobi looks back to Fugaku with a trembling bottom lip.

Fugaku sighs deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose and looking back at the small child before finally relenting. And Tobi grins widely at the man.

* * *

There is something wrong.

Something is off.

The half-moon rises into the sky and Kama sits on his bed with an itch that he can not scratch. The day has been fine as far as he is aware. Has been fine, more than fine really, since Kama finally believes that he is finally beginning to fit. Fit as a Hatake. As something more than just what he appears and it is nice. Also, the fact that Kakashi spent the whole day with him. Just with him, a day of bonding. And…

Kama visited a grave today. Kama shifts remembering the quiet, the sense of importance and peace, the somber surroundings. No playful wind, just a quiet and peaceful breeze. No rush, just tranquility. The short grass, all in line, and… all the stones. Standing in memorial. With small gaps, and compartments. For flowers and… Kama remembers staring, standing in silence by Kakashi as the older boy led him to one single row. To a single marked grave.

 _Hatake Sakumo_

It was humbling.

But that is not what is making Kama twitch and shift, that is not what is wrong. And whenever Kama tries to understand it all he really gets is some image about sheep, and wolves. Nonsensical images that he does not understand at all. So he sits there with his eyes up on the roof and his hair and ears splayed over the pillow. His head is filled with a fog and he does not understand. Until his ears twitch, a small sound. It catches his attention and he is up within moments, stalking around his room.

But it is not from inside the room.

Rather, it is from outside. Weary he slides the window up and pokes his head out. There is nothing that instantly jumps out at him. Nothing that instantly sets off his instincts but there is still-

He snaps his head around, and there is a small bundle. Looking back into his room he pauses, before fleeing the room. He drags Kakashi with him to investigate. Not entirely confident that it is safe and just… He freezes, about a meter or so away, legs unresponsive as exactly what he is seeing registers.

A small, barely a year old, child. Swaddled in blankets, wrapped up snug and warm. Clearly left alone though. Kama looks at Kakashi, the older boy has completely frozen, and Kama can practically read how he is screaming internally. Rolling his eyes the smaller Hatake stalks forwards, crouching and sniffing deeply. No injuries, no scent of blood. Nothing that seems wrong, and the only hints to the child's gender are a few of the more prominent colours chosen. He is half-way certain that they are a girl, and he can see the small curls, of white hair that frame the infants face.

Looking at Kakahsi Kama widens his eyes, pleading. And the older boy just crumbles, shrugging and shaking his head.

"Koonko!" he says, but he feels like something is wrong, and looks back as they walk inside… He can almost see a glimmer of something… Almost, and it makes his stomach twist uncomfortably.

* * *

"Her name is Sutera…" Yue says quite firmly, quite sure of herself. Although she is also aware of something else, something off. She knows that something is not right with this situation, but also, as she is looking up at Rin, at Mamoru she knows that whatever is wrong will be resolved without problems. It will resolve itself really, she is sure, but at the same time. As she holds the small infant, who has fluffy, wool like hair, and a small wooly tail she does not really know what else to think. "Rin-nee, Sutera is perfect right?" she asks and the older girl, suitably certain that the child is unharmed nods her head.

"Yes, Yue-chan, I think that Sutera is a perfect name…"

Yue beams, her ears springing up. Yet she still can not quite shake the feeling that something is just wrong…

There is something lurking.

* * *

Just outside of Konoha three white humanoid plant based creatures meet and nod with one another. Although one of them looks back into the village and shudders before responding. They all give one last look to the village, before sinking into the ground and disappearing.

No trace of them even existing is left.

* * *

Tobi beelines for Kama and Yue the next day at the Academy. He stands with an arched brow until they both look up at him. He knows that they are all acutely aware of why they are suddenly friends again. Or well not quite because all of them are aware that something is rotten. It is not just something that Tobi hears in the wind either.

It is something that all of them are able to feel. To sense. Tobi takes a deep breath and looks around, spotting Shisui he pauses before waving his cousin over, pushing the boy into a seat between them he plops down.

"So… Tobi found Shiipu yesterday… Tobi present?" he cheergfully informs them, and Kama chokes. Snapping his head around while Yue's hand twitches. "You find to?" Tobi asks, carefully folding his hands over and not looking at his siblings.

"Yes." They answer as one and Shisui makes a confused sound, but Tobi does not even respond, only humming. Leaning back the small boy peers around the room. Not really paying attention to the sensei at the front of the room, he already knows this. They all do, even Shisui by this point.

"Tobi knows… sheep?" he asks and Yue only responds with a twitch of the hand, Kama flattens his ears and Tobi nods his head. Carefully he taps a hand on the desk and they both straighten. _'Something is wrong, Tobi does not know what, but Shiipu does not feel right… something was different, and not just because they are like us, but not…'_ he leans back and Yue taps in response.

' _I know… Sutera feels like there is something extra, something that we are missing, something else that is there… also there was something watching us…'_

' _Green eyes in the woods?'_

' _No… just something that was watching…'_

' _There was a monster in Tobi's closet, and another world… but Tobi got bounced back into the room… Tobi thinks that they are possibly related… also Yue, Tobi found a boy in need of soft care… is Rin available?'_

' _Rin-nee has to deal with Kakashi… but possibly?'_

" _What monster?'_

' _Tobi does not know… just knows that there was one…'_ he stops tapping on the desk and sits back, completely ignoring the bewildered and confused lost expression on Shisui's face between them. He crosses his arms and leans on them looking back at the sensei. Not really listening because he does not have to. None of them do, and besides. He taps again. _'Set for Graduation?'_

' _Of course, we are ready for the Spring Graduation!'_

' _Yep, this March, all set!'_

Tobi smiles and sits up straight, narrowing his eyes. When they are let out he nods to his siblings before dragging them off. And Shisui of course follows, with a bemused and lost expression. Not that Tobi really cares, because having the barely older boy there is nice. And besides that are technically family, cousins. Just not quite in the way that Shisui sees it. Because Tobi views himself as not quite Uchiha, but something else.

Yet he is happy with the boy there. Because Shisui is his precious person. Important to him. And that is what counts really, so he smiles brightly at the other boy before turning around and standing up straight. He sharpens his posture, and Kama grins, eyes flashing.

"March! Graduation!" he claps his hands and Shisui jolts. "Ready?" he asks and Kama nods, Yue grins and Shisui holds up a hand.

"Wait… You planning on Graduating? This Spring term?" the older Uchiha asks and Tobi nods his head. Kama crosses his arms and Yue hums.

"Tobi knows, unexpected. But required!" Tobi says, his tail swishing behind him. Shisui narrows his eyes just slightly before shrugging. And the older boy grins, sharp and bright.

"Well then! I guess that I should pick up the pace! After all, you're still my chibi itoko!" he rests an arm around Tobi's shoulders and the smaller boy grins. Tail waving and Kama huffs. "I need to look out for all of you! As the oldest! That's my job!" he says puffing up his chest and Tobi laughs before getting serious again.

"Sheep!"

"Yes, the sheep…" Yue nods her head and Kama growls. His hands curl and Tobi looks around. Before he claps his hands together. Shisui makes a yelping sound before falling completely silent and all four of them fall silent. The wind howls, rushing around them and Tobi closes his eyes. He allows it to engulf him. Washing him in its whispers and its tales, images of places continents away and… He relaxes. Because he is sure of things. But nothing about the children. Nothing about the new three.

Except small glowing lights, and tubes of bubbling liquid, faces that flash and gold that glints.

Tobi snaps his eyes open and curls up. Shaking his head he takes a deep breath. Swallowing he licks his lips, feeling his ears press into his head, his tail between his legs he says only one thing.

"Shadow…"

It is all that needs to be said, because all of them know what that means.


	24. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

February, passes with little fan fair. Little happens either, although all three do show noticeable jumps in their progress. Across the board.

March, when it arrives is greeted with grins. Grins and expectation. Nods are traded between the group, and even Shisui closes his eyes and grins. He is not about to let them go off on their own after all. And when the Graduation Exam happens. Well, it is not as if there is an age limit for when you can attempt to pass.

It hasn't been simplified. It's as difficult as anything. First the written exams, then the physical, obstacle course, spar, and finally ninjutsu. At the end though the all stand firm. Not daring to show exactly how tired they are. Aside Shisui who is panting. But at the end. All three, four, of them are handed Hitai-ate. Handed the symbols of how far they have come.

Tobi stands there for a moment, fist closed around the cloth. Yue and Kama both grin, their tails waving from side to side and… off to the side there are people watching. Kakashi and Rin. And, Tobi can almost imagine that Obito would also be there. Would be there to see, to watch. Shisui laughs, breathless and free beside him and the small boy takes a deep breath.

Yue and Kama both look at one another, at him. Tobi merely inclines his head and they bound off. Over to their respective Toshiue Kyoudai. Off to their siblings, who as he watches carefully help them to wrap their hitai-ates around their foreheads. And… something burns through Tobi, he looks down.

Frowning, before taking a deep breath and raising the cloth up… before freezing. Instead of wrapping it around his forehead, he carefully fashions it into a kerchief, or bandanna and lets it hang loosely around his neck. He tosses his head back and stands with his arms crossed, a smirk sliding over his face. The wind plays in his hair, and beneath his shirt Chaja hisses in amusement.

"We here now…" he says smiling. Closing his eyes, before he jumps and looks around startled. Nothing there, but there is laughter in the wind. Raising his head he laughs as well. "We here now!" he reaches out into the sky before dropping down. "Proud Shāo?" he whispers before walking off alongside Shisui.

They would learn who their sensei would be the next day.

Today was a day of rest.

And Tobi knows, listening to the wind, that they are still been watched. The Shadow is still lurking. But for now, Tobi just smiles as he walks. Because there is nothing that it can do. Nothing, and Tobi allows his eyes to flash.

Because Tobi knows, this is where they are supposed to be… and here they are free… even if there is yet more to do… to learn, and achieve.

After all, the enemy still lurks in the shadows, with glinting golden eyes.

* * *

Across the Elemental nations the wind sends ripples over water. Over the seas. And in a village, shrouded in mist a small figure pauses. His head hidden by a hood he tilts it just slightly listening to the wind. A small smile tugs at his lips and he whispers.

"Good job… Good job…" Before darting away, soon disappearing into the shadows of the street. A shadow slipping after him.

* * *

 **Notes:** Main reason that I'm ending it here, is because this is all the words for my NaNoWriMo done. Also, it works, in an open-ended sort of way. Leaving potential for later exploration in this universe… but it is done, so I don't have to think about it any more.

The sequel when it comes likely will be more involved, especially regarding the Blessing Marks… because this just kind of went away from that…


End file.
